System and Method for Analyzing and Processing Food Product

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are described that provide a fast and simple way of processing meat or food products. Information is compiled and analyzed regarding the condition of a carcass, meat product, styling of the meat product and associated tray or package. Information is used in various processes, including determining which further processing steps are required. The information is also stored for future reference and analysis.

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 14/081,179, filed on Nov. 15, 2013 (now U.S. Pat. No.9,159,126, issued on Oct. 13, 2015), which is a continuation-in-part ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/766,969 filed Feb. 14, 2013 (nowU.S. Pat. No. 8,660,315, issued Feb. 25, 2014), which is a continuationapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/278,286, filed onOct. 21, 2011 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,379,935, issued Feb. 19, 2013), whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/575,964, filedon Oct. 8, 2009 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,050,462, issued Nov. 1, 2011),which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/695,712,filed on Apr. 3, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,613,330, issued Nov. 3, 2009)and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/695,568,filed on Apr. 2, 2007 (now U.S. Pat. No. 7,606,394, issued Oct. 20,2009). The present application also claims the benefits of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/789,013 filed on Apr. 3, 2006,entitled “Method and System for Tracking and Managing Livestock Throughthe Production Process” and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No.60/868,641 filed on Dec. 5, 2006, entitled “Method and System forAdministering a Drug Program Related to Livestock,” all of suchreferences are incorporated herein in their entirety by this reference.

FIELD

The present invention generally relates to methods and systems fortracking food products, such as meat products, through a productionprocess. More specifically, embodiments of the present invention providefor a relatively simple and quick way of analyzing meat products basedon one or more characteristic and processing the products accordingly.

BACKGROUND

During commercial meat production, a carcass is subjected to a number ofdifferent procedures. The animal is first slaughtered, the hide isremoved from the carcass, and the carcass is washed. The carcass maythen be contacted with hot water and/or steamed pasteurized, and thecarcass may also be subjected to one or more electrical stimulationprocesses. During commercial meat production, the carcass may beattached to a trolley or shackle at different points in the meatprocessing line. The carcass then travels along the meat processing linewhere it is subjected to a number of processes, including thoseidentified above, as well as weighing of the carcass and removal ofvarious portions of the carcass. The carcasses are also inspected at anumber of locations along the meat processing line, where certaininformation regarding carcasses may be collected and recorded by theinspectors and others.

Livestock carcasses and meat products are tracked for a variety ofreasons, including monitoring the efficiency of a meat productionfacility and the safe handling and processing of the carcasses and meatproducts. Meat producers have therefore instituted tracking systems inmeat processing plants which utilize a unique identifier for eachcarcass that enters the meat processing line so that the carcass, andthe meat products derived from it, may be tracked as they move along theprocessing line. The information collected may be used for a variety ofpurposes, including sorting carcasses before they are broken down intomeat products for packaging and tracking carcass information back to theproducer of the animal. The collection of information is not limited tothe processing plant, but may also be ascertained at numerous locationswithin a feedlot, farm or ranch. In many instances, this information iscollected and analyzed by hand, at a considerable cost to the collectingparty, and the information is difficult to obtain in a consistent mannerover time, as personnel changes, inconsistencies in training, andindividual variations in the collection and presentation of informationmake consistent collection difficult.

By way of example, beef livers that are isolated as a meat product fromcarcasses are typically individually hand inspected by representativesof the United States Department of Agriculture along the meat processingline. During this inspection, the inspector is present in the processingplant so that each liver can be visually inspected and given a qualitygrade, which inspection may include observing a liver as it passes byand/or picking up a liver in order to view one or more sides. Theinspector places one or more stamps on the liver, indicating the gradegiven, such as sufficient for human consumption (one stamp) orsufficient for animal consumption (two stamps), both of which areprofitable grades as the liver may be processed and delivered for saleto consumers. The inspector may also grade a liver as inedible orcondemned (three stamps), which represents a complete financial loss asall of these livers must be destroyed. A liver may be graded as inedibleor condemned for a variety of reasons, including, without limitation,the presence of abscesses resulting from a fast conversion to a highprotein diet in advance of slaughter. While all condemned livers resultin a financial loss, this type of condemned liver is of particularconcern as they represent the vast majority of condemned livers, yettheir condition is preventable in live animals prior to slaughter, viathe use of commercially available drugs. If this type of liver istreated prior to slaughter, it may then represent a profit as it is morelikely to be graded in such a way as to allow sale to consumers, ratherthan graded as condemned. There are several commercially available drugsthat may be used to treat and prevent the presence of abscesses in beeflivers that result from a fast conversion to a high protein diet inadvance of slaughter, such as the antibiotic macrolide tylosin, amongothers.

During commercial meat production, it is common to track and identifymeat carcasses while they are on the meat production line. Carcasses aretracked for a variety of reasons, including monitoring the efficiency ofthe meat production facility and to identify and monitor carcasses toensure that meat has been safely handled and processed. In addition,carcasses may be tracked during meat production so that certaininformation may be accumulated and maintained while the carcass is inthe meat production facility. This information may include the weight ofthe carcass, the specific type of animal from which the carcass wasderived, data about the source of the animal (e.g., breeder, ranchlocation, etc.), and a variety of other information that may be used totrack the carcass. This information may be used for a variety ofpurposes, including ensuring the meat has been properly aged, aiding andsorting carcasses before they are broken down into meat products forpackaging, and tracking carcass information back to the producer of theanimal or tracing carcass information from the farm to the packagedmeat. In addition, information about carcasses that impact the price ofmeat, such as quality and cutability, may be collected at differentlocations in the plant.

Meat producers have therefore instituted tracking systems in meatprocessing plants. A unique identifier for each carcass that enters themeat processing line is used such that the carcass may be tracked and itcan be verified that each carcass has been subjected to each procedureon the meat processing line (e.g., steam pasteurization, washing,trimming, electrical stimulation, and so on).

SUMMARY

Methods and systems for tracking, analyzing, diverting, and processinglivestock during and after the production process are provided. Althoughwell suited for use in bovine production, advantages offered by thepresent invention may be realized in the production of all types ofanimals including but not being limited to, bovine, porcine, and ovineanimals as well as bison, poultry, and fish. Additionally, otherproduction processes not related to animals may also benefit fromembodiments of the present invention where tracking of inventory (e.g.,other types of food or consumer products) throughout the productionprocess is desired.

As used herein, “animals” refers to all animals, including but notlimited to the many forms of commercially useful livestock. An “animal”refers to a single intact animal and, as such, may be a live animal,though that is not required. A “carcass” is a part or portion of ananimal. An “organ” is an internal organ derived from an animal,including, but not limited to, brain, liver, tongue, pancreas gland,thymus gland, stomach, feet, kidney, lungs, heart, small intestine,testicles, or placenta. Although the systems and methods of the presentinvention have been found particularly applicable to livers and lungs,the systems and methods can be employed to collect, compile and analyzedata from all organs and it is to be expressly understood that otherorgans, such as those listed above, can be used with the presentinvention. The terms “drug” and “combination of drugs” are used hereinin their broadest sense and include, without limitation, any biologicalor chemical substance, synthetic or non-synthetic, that is isolated,purified and/or synthesized and subsequently administered to, and/ortaken by, an organism for non-dietary needs in order to produce someeffect(s) or to alter some bodily function(s) such as relievingsymptoms, curing diseases, eliciting preventative effects, or any otherpurpose. A “drug program” includes the giving or administration of drugsto animals, the giving or administering of a combination of drugs toanimals, the giving or administering of a single drug or a combinationof drugs to a single animal or a combination of animals, any combinationof the foregoing, and/or the timing of such giving or administration.“Linking” and/or “linked” includes the standard means ofcomputer-assisted storage, analysis, compilation and display of data orinformation in a database or similar storage/archiving facility, wherebyone or more data points is tagged or identified with an electronicsignature or data pointer so that it is readily readable by a computerand such that it can be readily associated or joined with other datapoints, whether such other data points are in the same database or adifferent one. The electronic signatures or data pointers may be used toquickly pull specific data points from large pools of information,associate it with other data points that may be similarly pulled fromlarge data pools, and then analyze and/or compile a plurality ofspecific data points into a readable format that is readilytransmissible via standard electronic means.

Moreover, many companies focus on supplying dietary drugs, combinationsof drugs and the like. These companies usually claim that their productwill help the animals be healthier. These types of companies may also beinterested in receiving feedback related to various portions of theanimals. For example, a company that supplies drugs or combinations ofdrugs aimed at reducing the number of organ abnormalities may beinterested in knowing how many organ abnormalities were present inanimals that were treated with their product and how many organabnormalities were present in others who did not receive their product.Many of these companies pay individuals non-trivial amounts of money togather this sort of information. Using at least some embodiments of thepresent invention, a drug company can purchase information relating tocertain portions of an animal that was treated with their drugs orcombinations of drugs. This information can be, for example, gatheredautomatically and/or continuously and thus can be provided back to thesupplier much more quickly and in more volume than could be realized inthe past.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system thatis compliant with government regulations and can be easily updated andexpanded to be in compliance with new government regulations. Forexample, as new laws are passed that potentially restrict meatproduction processes, it is important for meat producers to know thatthey can change as the rules change without requiring too many costs.Embodiments of the present invention provide for a relatively easilyscalable and upgradeable system.

An additional aspect of the present invention is directed to presentinginformation regarding the condition of an organ in a form that isreadily readable, transferable to others, and associated with, or linkedto, other information. This may involve one or many steps, dependingupon the manner in which the desired information is recorded. Forexample, the collected information may be entered into a computer or aserver where it may be electronically manipulated, stored ordisseminated with, or without, the linked information.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide accurate,identification systems that can receive, compile and analyze informationabout the health and quality of animals, and which can transmit thatcompiled and analyzed data to a database for storage and/or archiving.Such systems will have the benefit of collecting and presentinginformation in a consistent and cost effective manner, making itsuperior to the collection and presentation of the same information byhand or by other methods presently in existence.

Drug companies will also benefit from such systems and from such methodsas they will be able to purchase and/or acquire reports that allow themto quickly and easily determine whether certain drugs, combinations ofdrugs, and/or drug programs: have been administered to one or moreanimals and/or actually serve to increase the health of animals.Statistical information that can be compiled and reported using certainembodiments of the present invention will thus serve to either reinforcethe efficacy of certain drugs or combinations of drugs, or will allowthe drug company to assess whether certain, less efficacious drugs orcombinations of drugs need further research and development, or whethersuch drugs or combinations of drugs should be removed from themarketplace entirely. As with meat producers, drug companies will beable to utilize certain embodiments of the present invention to collectand analyze data points concerning each of the above-referencedcategories, as well as many others, and will be able to quickly andeasily compile and analyze these data points to generate reports, oracquire generated reports concerning the same. Similarly, comparisonreports can be generated that are derived from animals that havereceived certain drugs, combinations of drugs, and/or drug programs withthose that received drugs, combination of drugs, and/or drug programsproduced by competitors. The present invention will also allow drugcompanies to determine whether certain drugs, combinations of drugs,and/or drug programs provide the desired results, whether a drug,combination of drugs, and/or drug program can be applied to a variety ofspecies with positive results, and to test new drugs. By utilizingreports generated via the present invention, drug companies will be ableto charge a price for a specific drug, combination of drugs, and/or drugprogram that is in accordance with its actual impact on animal healthand will be able to market to those that are not utilizing their drugs.

In certain embodiments, the ability to provide visual evidence ofresults, such as an image of an organ containing abnormalities withidentifying data, provides compelling and verifiable proof of how adrug, combination of drugs, and/or drug program (or the lack thereof)may have affected an animal. This knowledge will help ensure reasonableefforts to maximize the health.

Another object of the present invention is to provide systems that canelectronically receive information regarding the origin and/or health ofan animal, and preferably organs, from one or a plurality of locations,and then transmit that information electronically to a computer and/orserver for analysis, compilation, transmission and/or storage. Suchinformation may be useful to determine whether, or how, dataidentification of one abnormal organ may be used to track other organsfrom an individual animal.

Information regarding the origin and/or health of an animal may include,without limitation: the country, geographic region, state, county, city,or town of a single animal or a group of animals; results from acheck-up and/or diagnosis of one or more animals; information concerningthe use of a drug, combinations of drugs, or administration of a drugprogram; information concerning the general appearance of an animal orgroup of animals; the images of one or a plurality of animals;combinations of the same; and similar information. Information regardingthe quality of preferably organs, may include, without limitation: oneor a plurality of images of an organ; one or a plurality of similarimages showing the presence of abscesses or similar medical maladies, ifany: and similar information.

By way of example, an image of an organ, tagged with an electronicsignature or data pointer and showing the absence of any abnormalities,may be readily linked to information of the time at which the image wasgenerated, which may be further linked to information concerning thetime at which that organ was dissected from a carcass.

In accordance with at least one embodiment of the present invention, amethod for administering a drug program is provided. The methodcomprises the steps of: receiving information regarding the quality ofan organ; receiving information regarding the origin of the organ;receiving information regarding the presence or absence of anadministered drug in the animals located at the origin; linking suchinformation together; and then, based on such linked information,determining whether the quality is due to, or has been influenced by,the presence or absence of an administered drug, combination of drugs,and/or drug program in the animals located at the origin.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, thesystem comprises a facility comprising a database, a server, at leastone means for generating an image, at least one external server, and atleast one display apparatus. The database is used to store and/orarchive a variety of information, including without limitationinformation concerning the health, quality, origin and/or the presenceor absence of a drug in organs. The server may comprise one or moreprocessors, memory, and is operable to determine the health, quality,origin and/or the presence or absence of a drug in an animal, or organbased on image information received from the image generation means, aswell as the time and date such information was received. Additionally,the server is operable to receive, compile, analyze and/or link togetherinformation concerning the health, quality, origin and/or the presenceor absence of a drug in the animals and/or organs from at least one thedatabase, and is operable to transfer this information to at least oneexternal server capable of receiving such information and to thedatabase for storage and/or archiving. The means for generating imagesis/are operable to receive image information regarding organs and totransmit this information to the server, where it will be received,compiled, analyzed and transmitted to the database for storage and/orarchiving and may also be transmitted to at least one external servercapable of receiving the same.

As the demand for “case-ready” meat products grows, customer demand fora quality, consistent product also increases. Quality of productincludes, but is not limited to fat cover, weight, and “stylization.”Styling or stylization as used herein refers to placement of meat in atray or package and the orientation of the meat therein. Where a humanelement is introduced for positioning or stylizing meat product within apackage, errors and variability may be introduced to the system, causingadditional work and cost downstream wherein the meat needs to bere-stylized and particularly when such re-stylization occurs subsequentto additional packaging operations.

Embodiments of the present invention capture data related to each trayor product package within a system. Feedback is provided, such as to aproduction worker, to track and manage real time records of productsthat are produced. Data obtained and stored by embodiments of thepresent invention may be used to inform customers of certain features,and/or provide input for system process control and business operations.Various embodiments further contemplate identifying trays that fail tomeet certain specifications prior to further packaging and therebyeliminate wasted packaging material and increase overall efficiency ofthe system.

In certain embodiments, quality assurance operations are simplified andtheir efficiency increased by the provision of a system with real timedata acquisition and processing that replaces or reduces the need forhuman intervention in checking and recording every tray or packageproduced.

Systems of the present invention provide an accurate record of trays andpackages to ensure the absence of foreign materials on the surface ofthe product prior to an overwrapping process, increasing overall foodsafety and integrity and reducing the need for unpacking and repackingas may be required by remediation efforts after such a packing step hasbeen performed.

It is one object of the present invention to provide automated,real-time feedback on a food packaging process. Such feedback includes,but is not limited to, the performance of a styler, the quality of thepackaging, the quality of the meat, and positioning of labeling. It is afurther object of the present invention to provide a database ofinformation obtained by the system and thus enable statistical analysisand review of the same. It is yet another object of the presentinvention to improve the efficiency of a packing system by, for example,eliminating or reducing wasted packaging materials and eliminatingunnecessary labor efforts. It is yet another object of the presentinvention to enable and/or activate processing decisions related to, forexample, applications of topical solutions or other treatment(s) to meatand directing product to various equipment or locations. It is yetanother object of the present invention to improve food safety byscanning each tray or package at at least one point in a system andreject trays or packages where necessary. It is yet another object ofthe present invention to add value to an end customer and provideassurance of consistently manufactured food.

In various embodiments, a vision or image capturing and analyzing systemis provided to analyze information related to a meat product and itsassociated tray or package. Data acquired from the imaging system isstored and processed to perform various quality assurance functions.

In one embodiment, the system comprises a central processor thatincludes a tracking member, a database, and a meat production facility.The tracking member of the central processor is operable to receiveinformation related to a product at one or more points in the productionfacility. Additionally, the tracking member is operable to determine awindow of traceability during at least one of the fabrication process,the chilling process, the slaughter processes, and the preharvestprocess. The window of traceability may be based on ergonomic studies,rate of travel, quality assurance processes and any other availableinformation that may lead to an amount of time required for a carcass ormeat product to travel through the production process.

One aspect of the present invention is to provide a system that cantrace a product, either forwards or backwards, from a single point,throughout most, if not the entire, production (e.g. fabrication)process. This enables a questionable product to be recalled almostimmediately before additional resources are expended to process adefective food product (e.g. a bad piece of meat). This also assists inquality assurance of the final products and thus higher customersatisfaction. By using embodiments of the present invention, aquestionable piece of meat may be recalled/withdrawn from the productionprocess within a time frame of about two hours, preferably in less thanabout 90 minutes, and most preferably within 50 minutes of detection.

Yet another aspect of the present invention is to provide a system thatis compliant with government regulations and can be easily updated andexpanded to be in compliance with new government regulations. As newlaws are passed that potentially restrict food, and particularly meat,production processes, it is important for producers to know that theycan change as the rules change without requiring too many costs.Embodiments of the present invention provide for a relatively easilyscalable and upgradeable system.

Still a further aspect of the present invention is to provide a systemand method that can be used to accurately grade each subprimal portionof a carcass based upon the quality of that particular subprimal. Ratherthan grading an entire animal based on the ribeye section, eachsubprimal is analyzed and graded based on its own merit, not solely onthe merit of the ribeye. This way the customer does not pay excessiveprices for an over-graded product and the producer does not foregopotential revenue for an under-graded product. Thus, one aspect of thepresent invention relates to obtaining and using at least two images ofmeat food products from one animal to determine the health and/orquality of such animal or food product. This helps to create more valuefor both the customer and the producer because each product (or at leasttwo products derived from any given animal) that is produced is given anaccurate grade.

In one embodiment, a tray of product passes through a vision system foranalysis. The vision system evaluates and determines the size of thetray being passed therethrough. An algorithm associated with the visionsystem identified a stock keeping unit (“SKU”) associated with the tray.The vision system captures information related to, for example: thepresence of a product associated with the tray, the styling of theproduct on the tray, and a color of the product, and further stores suchinformation. A barcode reader (e.g. laser) is associated with the visionsystem and operate to read one or more bar codes associated with thetrays. Based on information determined from the vision system and barcode scanner, the system may apply further bar code information to thetray. The system is also contemplated as comprising a scale, in variousembodiments, to further determine if the tray and product meetspecifications related to weight and size of product, for example. Invarious embodiments, the system may reject trays which do not complywith certain criteria related to the weight of the tray/product.Rejected trays may be subject to various additional processes, includingre-working, treatment(s) (e.g. topical treatment), etc. Accepted orapproved trays are diverted or forwarded to further processingoperations, such as final packaging and/or wrapping of the product.

These and other advantages will be apparent from the disclosure of theinvention(s) contained herein. The above-described embodiments,objectives, and configurations are neither complete nor exhaustive. Aswill be appreciated, other embodiments of the disclosure are possibleusing, alone or in combination, one or more of the features set forthabove or described in detail below. Further, this Summary is neitherintended to be nor should it be construed as being representative of thefull extent and scope of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute partof the specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention andtogether with the general description of the invention given above andthe detailed description of the drawings given below, serve to explainthe principle of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components of a meat production andtracking system in accordance with at least some embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram depicting a general production and trackingprocess in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a depiction of various processing time windows of traceabilityin accordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a method of determining the origin of end products inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a conveyor belt for transporting parts of an animal throughthe production process in accordance with at least some embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 6A shows a high grade organ in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6B shows a medium grade organ in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 6C shows a lower grade organ in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 7 depicts a method of tracking and accounting organ quality inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 8 depicts a method of utilizing accounting information inaccordance with at least some embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of components of a meat production andtracking system in accordance with at least some embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram depicting one method of administering a drugprogram related to livestock in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 11 shows another method for administering a drug program related tolivestock in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 shows an alternate embodiment to the method for administering adrug program related to livestock in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention presented in FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 shows a third method for administering a drug program related tolivestock in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 shows a fourth method for administering a drug program relatedto livestock in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 15 shows a fifth method for administering a drug program related tolivestock in accordance with at least some embodiments of the presentinvention;

FIG. 16 is flowchart depicting a process according to one embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of a packaging and imaging system accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of trays and a packaging and imagingsystem according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19 is a top view of an imaging system according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a front view of an imaging system according to one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an imaging system according to oneembodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional side view of an imaging system according toone embodiment of the present invention.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale.In certain instances, details that are not necessary for anunderstanding of the invention or that render other details difficult toperceive may have been omitted from these drawings. It should beunderstood, of course, that the present disclosure is not limited to theparticular embodiments illustrated in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring initially to FIG. 1, a meat production and tracking system 100will be described in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. The system 100, in the depicted embodiment, comprises apre-harvest area 104, a slaughter area 108, a chilling area 112, afabrication area 116, and a packaging/shipping area 120. The productionsystem receives animals from a given lot 102 a-k, where typically k isgreater than or equal to 1. Animals received from a given lot 102 gothrough the pre-harvest area 104. Generally, in order to ensure a highquality of product, suppliers with supplier numbers are used. A suppliernumber registers that particular supplier and provides them with a lotnumber or supplier number. Typically, a qualified supplier complies withEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Concentrated Animal FeedingOperations (CAFO) regulations.

Animals arising at the pre-harvest area 104 from their respective lots102 are assigned a lot number, corresponding to the lot which they weredelivered with. Other information regarding the lot is also provided.For example, the number of animals in a particular lot 102, the sex ofthe animals in the lot 102, the feedlot of origin corresponding to thegiven lot 102, the day of slaughter, and other information may berecorded at the pre-harvest area 104. The production and tracking system100 further comprises a central processor 124 comprising a trackingmember 128 and a database 132. The determined information in thepre-harvest area 104 is sent to the central processor 124 via interface136. The central processor then handles the information accordinglybased on the required amount of information needed at any given stepalong the production process, and stores that information in a suitableformat in database 132.

The interface 136 may be a bidirectional interface allowingcommunications to/from the central processor 124 and various componentsof the meat production system 100. Alternatively, the interface 136 maybe a unidirectional interface that simply transfers information from anyone of given areas to the central processor 124. In production, theanimals are taken from the pre-harvest area 104 to the slaughter area108 where they are slaughtered. In the slaughter area 108, the hide ofthe animal is removed from the carcass and the carcass in washed. Thecarcass may also be steamed pasteurized, receive a euhygenic bacteriatreatment, and be subjected to an electrical stimulation process. In theslaughter area 108, carcasses are cross-referenced with animal ear tagsotherwise known as a head tag system. This cross-referencing maps everycarcass to an individual animal. Ear tag and head tag numbers arepaired, collected, and recorded at the slaughter area 108. Theinformation that is recorded in the slaughter area 108 is again sent tothe central processor 124 where it is linked together, processed andthen saved in database 132 in the appropriate format.

Also in the slaughter area 108, a carcass crosses a scale where it isweighed and assigned a unique carcass identification number. The carcassidentification number references the animal number and the correspondinglot number. The unique carcass identification number may also containadditional data including the kill date, the processing shift, and thehot carcass weight per side. Typically an animal is split into twosides, and therefore two carcasses, each having its own unique carcassidentification number, correspond to a single animal. As noted above,this unique carcass identification number is also sent from theslaughter area 108 to the central processor 124 for storage in thedatabase 132, where it may be linked to additional information regardingthe animal, such as a lot of origin.

After the animal has passed through the slaughter area 108, thecorresponding carcass(es) are sent into the chilling area 112 where theyare suitably chilled for a predetermined amount of time. After a carcasshas been chilled for the requisite amount of time, it is sent into thefabrication area 116. Carcasses cross a transfer scale out of thechilling area 112 into the fabrication area 116 where they are weighed.The weight is logged at the transfer scale as the “chilled carcassweight” and sent to the central processor 124. Additional informationincluding, but not limited to, the time of processing, the shift atwhich the carcass was processed at the transfer scale, animalidentification number, and corresponding lot number may be saved andsent to central processor 124 for storage in the database 132 as well,where it may be linked to additional information regarding the animal,such as a lot of origin.

In the fabrication area 116 the carcass is separated into differentparts. For example, one beef carcass may be split into a butt section, achuck roll section, a strip section, a top round section, a bone-in-ribproduct, or any other suitable meat product that can be derived from thecarcass. Each product class has a processing time associated with it,which takes into account quality assurance, ergonomic studies, time andtravel across fabrication floor, and any other information that can beused to determine the amount of time it takes to produce the produce inthe fabrication area 116. This processing time typically corresponds toa window of traceability 300, as will be described in further detaillater. Each window of traceability 300 can be traced to a carcassidentification number, lot number, and feed lot of origin. This windowof traceability 300 may be saved in the database by transferring theinformation from the fabrication area 116 to the central processor 124where it is saved in the database 132.

Once the carcass has been properly processed into a final product, it issent from the fabrication area to the packaging and shipping area 120.In the packaging and shipping area 120 each box containing products islabeled with information. The box information may include product codecorresponding to the type of product that is within the box, productserial number, time of production, production shift, and/or destination.The final boxed or packaged product is then sent from the packaging andshipping area 120 to either a retailer or an end customer.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a more detailed description of the productionand tracking process will be described in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention. In step 204, documents relating to a lot and/oranimal associated with a particular lot are procured at the pre-harvestarea 104. In this regard, but not portending to be limited in anymanner, the following U.S. patents are incorporated herein by referenceto assist in providing a written description of how one of skill in theart may implement one or more embodiments of the present invention: U.S.Pat. No. 5,478,990 to Montanari et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,975,223 toGrose et al. Procurement and audit of documents may include visionsupply base, future supply projections, information supplier's data, andother relevant supplier information. The received documents aregenerally used to verify the age of incoming animals, the source ofthese animals, and may include a determination as to whether the animalsare organic and natural (i.e., have not been exposed to chemicals orother additives) in addition to other items of interest with respect tothe animals (step 208). In step 212, each individual animal isidentified and matched with receiving documents. For example, if fiftyanimals were received in a particular lot 102, then each animal ismatched to that particular lot 102. The animal records are gathered, theanimal identification number is recorded, and both are then sent tocentral processor 124. The animal may also undergo an optibrand visionscan which matches the receiving documents of the lot to that animal.Thereafter, the animal is sent from the pre-harvest area 104 to theslaughter area 108 as described above.

In the slaughter area 108 a carcass is cross-referenced to the animaland lot it came from using a head tag system linking the individualanimal's identification number to the lot number (step 216). Thereafter,a determination of grade (such as Angus) and/or breed is made and ifapplicable, the carcass is stamped as having a high grade of meat (step220). In step 224, the carcass is sent to the gut table where theanimal's organs, as well as the physiological structures in which theyare contained, are analyzed to make an initial determination of thehealth of the animal. Typically, a viscera loss report is generated atthe gut table, which will contain information regarding this initialdetermination. If, during the viscera test, it is determined that theanimal's health is questionable, then all carcasses associated with thatanimal are recalled and tested further to ensure the quality of themeat. By way of example, and while riot wishing to be limited in anymanner, pork lungs that are infected by Pasteurella multocida and/orActinobacillus pleuropneumoniea may contain lesions that cause the lungsto adhere to the inside of the rib cage, thereby damaging the lungs whenthe lungs are removed. This adhesion is indicative of respiratorycomplications in the animal and is a visual means of identifying ananimal of lesser quality. Additionally, the livers from cattle that haveexperienced complications, such as pathogenic bacterial infection, froma fast conversion to a high protein diet may contain abscesses, whichare also indicative of the overall health of the animal. The existenceof these maladies, among others, may be determined visually at the guttable, by hand or human inspection, or by use of the systems and methodsof the present invention, as described below.

At the gut table 224, an additional step may be performed where one ormore organs of the given carcass are scanned by the systems of thepresent invention. When the organs are removed from the carcass, theyare typically placed on a conveyer belt, or similar means of transport,along with the carcass they were removed from. As can be seen in FIG. 5,the conveyor belt 500 is generally divided into a first section 504 anda second section 508. Organs on the belt 500 are generally separatedsuch that an organ of interest 512 is placed on the first section 504and the other viscera 516 are placed on the second section 508. Theorgan 512, placed onto the first section 504 of the belt 500, travels inthe general direction of the conveyor belt 500. As the organ 512 moveswith the belt 500 it is passed under an optical instrument capable ofgenerating an image of the organ 512, such as still images or sequencesof moving images. This image generation means 520 is arranged such thatan image is generated of any organ that passes through an area ofinterest 522 underneath the image generation means 520, and may beequipped with a motion detector or the like that helps to automaticallydetect the presence of an organ in the area of interest 522. The imagegathering means 520 may be one of many items capable of creating animage, photographic or otherwise, of the organ as it passes underneath,such as a camera (film or digital; color or black and white), a videocamera (film or digital; color or black and white), an Internet-operableweb camera, an x-ray device, calorimeter, fiberscope, optrode, infraredsensor (passive or otherwise), photodetector, photometer, telescope,videoscope, and/or any similar device as well as any combination of theforegoing. In the presently preferred embodiment, the image gatheringmeans 520 is a camera, more preferably a digital color camera. The imagegathering means 520 may thus be fixedly located above, alongside, orbeneath the conveyer belt 500, it may also be rotatably mounted suchthat it is movable between each such position as well as any position inbetween, or it may be present near the conveyer belt 500 such that anattendant may manually use the image gathering means 520 to generateimages of the organ of interest. The image gathering means 520 may alsobe equipped with a motion detector or the like that helps toautomatically detect the presence of an organ in the area of interest522 so that it may operate without the assistance of an attendant.

Once the organ 512 is within the area of interest 522, the imagegathering means 520 generates or otherwise obtains at least one image ofthe organ, which is then sent to the processor 124. The processor 124determines what animal and/or lot the 512 organ is associated with andcreates a data pointer between the subject image of the organ and theanimal/lot that the organ 512 is associated with. The data pointer maybe a memory address of the data for the animal/lot. The processor 124may alternatively stamp the image with the corresponding animal/lotidentification number/name such that anyone that looks at the imageknows what animal the organ 512 came from and subsequently what lot theanimal originated from. The processor 124 then sends the image to thedatabase 132 for storage.

Referring now to FIGS. 6A-C exemplary images captured by the imagegathering means 520 will be discussed in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention. The organ of interest 512 shown inFIG. 6A, an image of which has been generated by the image gatheringmeans 520 as it passed through the area of interest 522, has no visibleabnormalities. The organ 512 therefore appears to be healthy and, assuch, has been given one stamp 604 as an indication that the organ 512is healthy. In the United States, a USDA employee stands at the belt 500and grades each organ that may be consumed by humans and/or animals. Thegrader is responsible for assigning each organ a grade based on itsappearance. An organ that appears healthy to the inspector is typicallygiven one USDA stamp, which signifies a healthy organ and a favorablegrade. When the processor 124 receives the image of FIG. 6A, theprocessor 124 may use standard image processing techniques to determinethat the organ 512 was given only one stamp, in addition to storing theimage of the single stamp given. The image shown in FIG. 6B has a fewabnormalities 608, which may be abscesses, tissue damage, or othermaladies, and thus has been given a grade of two stamps 604, indicatingthat the 512 organ is safe for animal consumption but not for humanconsumption. The presence of these abnormalities 608 may be an indicatorto the rancher who supplied the animal, or to a company that supplieddrugs to the rancher, that something is wrong either with the animal orthe animal's diet. For example, the presence of a large number ofabnormalities 608 may indicate, among other things, that the rancher didnot use a drug or combination of drugs to improve the animal's health inadvance of slaughter, which may have reduced or eliminated theabnormalities 608 in the organ 512. The image shown in FIG. 6C has anumber of abnormalities 608 and as a result has been given three stamps604, indicating that the organ 512 is not safe for human or animalconsumption and must be removed from production and destroyed.

There are a number of ways to indicate the grade that a particular organhas received. As discussed above, one scheme for indicating the grade ofa particular organ corresponds to how many stamps the organ receives.The more stamps the organ has received, the lesser the quality of theorgan. As can be appreciated by one of skill in the art, under differentcircumstances and/or inspection schemes, the presence of multiple stampson an organ may indicate that the organ is of higher quality than anorgan with fewer stamps. In each case, however, the grade can be readilydetermined using the systems and methods of the present invention, asnoted above.

The images of the organs are sent to the central processor 124 wherethey are analyzed. Typically the processor 124 searches for and countsthe number of stamps 604 that appear in the image and registers thegrade of the organ 512 based on the number of stamps 604 present.Alternatively, the processor 124 may not rely on stamps 604 and couldinstead directly count the number of abnormalities 608 that exist on theorgan 512. Using certain image processing techniques, the values of thepixels associated with the stamps and/or the abnormalities could becounted and if the number of those pixels (which may be, for example,pixels that have a different color than their surrounding pixels)exceeds a certain threshold, then the quality of the organ can bedowngraded. In order to identify abnormalities and/or the stamps appliedby the grader, the processor 124 is operable to scan the image anddetermine the value of each pixel. Typically, a darker pixel is given ahigher intensity value and a lighter pixel is given a lower intensityscore. The processor 124 compares the intensity values of each pixel andthose immediately next to the pixel. When the processor 124 identifies apixel that has one or more pixels next to it with a substantiallydifferent intensity value, then the processor 124 marks that pixel as apotential abnormality and/or stamp. The processor 124 then tries todetermine if a number of marked pixels are in a group. If there are anumber of marked pixels in a group, then the processor 124 can mark thegroup as a potential abnormality and/or a stamp. The size and shape ofthe group is analyzed to further determine whether the group is anabnormality or a stamp. The number of abnormalities or stamps are thencounted to determine what grade the organ was given or what grade it maybe given. Once the processor 124 determines the grade then the grade isassociated with the lot and/or animal that the organ originated from.This valuable information may be stored in the database 132 and sent tothe supplier of the lot for analysis of the quality of the lot.

During the organ scan (step 224) an image gathering means 520 is used toscan each organ as it passes the gut table. By scanning the organ withan image gathering means 520, organ abnormalities may be identified. Iftoo many abnormalities are discovered on a single organ, the carcass(es)associated with that organ may be recalled immediately, prior to anyadditional production on that meat, as many organs are useful indicatorsof an animal's overall health and the carcasses associated with suchorgan may similarly be of low grade or quality. Some or many organabnormalities may indicate that the animal was not a healthy animal andtherefore may not be able to meet suitable quality standards. If, duringorgan scanning, it is determined that the animal was unhealthy, thecarcasses associated with that organ are recalled and further qualitytesting is performed to ensure that the carcasses are suitable forconsumption.

Referring to FIG. 7 a method of scanning organs of interest 512 duringmeat production will be described in accordance with at least someembodiments of the present invention. Initially, a count variable forall of the organ grades is set to zero (step 704). Thereafter, a firstorgan is graded by either manual or automatic methods (step 708). Thegraded organ is then associated with an animal/lot (step 712). Byassociating an organ with an animal and/or lot, information alreadystored in the database 132 regarding that animal/lot can be logicallyconnected with the organ such that any additional information that isdetermined about the organ can also be stored with the animal/lotinformation in the database 132.

As the organ 512 passes into the area of interest, an image of the organ512 is captured by the image gathering means 520 (step 716). The imageis transmitted to the processor 124 and associated (e.g., stored in thedatabase with images of other organs from the same animal/lot or stampedwith animal/lot information) with an animal/lot (step 720). Then in step724 the processor 124 analyzes the image to how many, and possibly whatkind of, markings, abnormalities, and/or stamps exist on the organ 512.Based on this analysis, the grade of the organ 512 is determined byprocessor 124 and stored with the rest of the pertinent informationrelating to image and/or the animal/lot associated with the image (step728).

In step 732, it is determined whether the organ 512 was given the topgrade. In the event that the organ 512 has received a top grade, thenthe variable corresponding to the top grade count for a given lot isincremented by one from its previous value, which would be zero for thefirst organ (step 736). However, if the organ 512 was not given the topgrade then it is determined if the organ 512 was given the secondhighest grade (step 740). If the organ 512 was given the second highestgrade, then the variable corresponding to the second highest grade countis incremented by one from its previous value (step 744). If the organ512 was not given the second highest grade then the lowest grade countis incremented by one from its previous value (step 748). For purposesof illustration only three grades have been described, but it ispossible to implement embodiments of the present invention wherenumerous grades exist for a particular organ. Each grade would have acorresponding variable dedicated to keeping track of the number oforgans that have received that grade. Once the variable associated withthe grade of the organ has been incremented, it is determined if thereare any additional organs that need to be analyzed (step 752). If thereare more organs that have to be scanned, then the method returns to step708.

Once a suitable number of organs have been analyzed (e.g., all of theorgans from animals corresponding to a particular lot of origin), thenthe grade counts of each variable are associated with a lot (step 756).In a preferred embodiment, when an organ associated with a new lot isscanned, then the value for each variable of each grade count is storedwith other lot information and the variables are reset to begin countingfor the new lot. After a suitable number of organs have been scanned andthe grade counts of the scanned organs are stored along with the otherlot information, a report containing the grade counts and any otherpertinent information may be generated by the systems of the presentinvention. This report may then be forwarded to the supplier of the lot(step 760), for a fee or otherwise. This provides easily verifiable andaccurate feedback to the lot supplier about the quality of his/her lot.Additionally, the report can be sent to other entities. For example, thereport may be transmitted to a drug company that supplies ranchers withdrugs or combinations of drugs that is supposed to increase the healthof animals delivered for slaughter. By viewing the report, the drugcompany will be able to determine whether the lot supplier used any oftheir drugs and/or whether the drugs sold to a certain lot supplierproved to be efficacious, provided that such drugs elicit effectscapable of being captured by the image gathering means 520. For example,if the report shows that a particular lot supplier, who purchased one ormore drugs from the drug company, provided a large number of highquality organs, then the drug company can use the report as proof of thedrug's efficacy and can therefore attempt to charge a premium for it. Ascan be appreciated, the information from scanning organs of interest 512may be valuable to a number of other entities involved in the meatproduction supply chain.

Referring now to FIG. 8 a method of utilizing information supplied fromthe organ scanning method will be described in accordance with at leastsome embodiments of the present invention. Initially, a reportcontaining images of the organs and other information related to a lotof origin (e.g., number of animals in the lot, overall quality of thelot, price paid for the lot, price paid per head of animal, time of daylot was processed, lot number, and so on) are transmitted to thesupplier (step 804), for a fee or otherwise. The report may also includea description of the grade of the organ, the associated lot number andcorresponding animal number, as well as the grade counts for the organs(step 808). The grade counts may correspond to the number of organs thathad a particular grade score. For example, a given lot may have had alarge number of organs with a top quality grade, a moderate number oforgans with a second quality grade, and a small number of organs withthe lowest quality grade. By having the report, the supplier is able tocorrelate the images of the organs to the grade counts, to verify theaccuracy of the grade counts (step 812).

Based on the feedback received by both the images and the grade countfor each image, the supplier can determine how best to proceed withraising animals. In step 816, it is determined if the images and gradecount correspond to a satisfactory level. For instance, if the number oflowest quality grades received is larger than a predeterminedsatisfactory level of the entire lot, then the lot may not have beenraised to a satisfactory level. In the event that the lot did meet theminimum requirements, then the supplier may decide to maintain his/herprocess (step 820). However, if the feedback shows that the supplier israising lower quality animals, then the supplier may decide to alter themanner in which they raise their cattle (step 824). For example, if theysupplier had not previously been purchasing drugs or combinations ofdrugs designed to increase the overall health of his or her animals inadvance of slaughter, then the supplier may choose to begin purchasingthe same. Additionally, the information can be provided directly to thedrug company, for a fee or otherwise, so that they can determine iftheir product is working effectively. If the drugs or combinations ofdrugs are working effectively, then the drug company may be able to aska premium for their drugs or combinations of drugs. Conversely, if thefeedback indicates that their product does not work, then the drugcompany may need to redesign their particular product.

Referring back to FIG. 2, after the organ has been scanned and othernecessary tests have been performed, the carcass and/or organ is sent toa hot scale (step 228). At the hot scale, each carcass and/or organ isgiven a unique identification number linked to the head tag. Thisreferences the lot number, contains additional data including the killdate processing shift, hot carcass and/or organ weight per side and soon. That information is then transferred to the central processor 124for storage in the database 132. Thereafter (step 232), each carcassand/or organ is analyzed with another image gathering means, such as ahot camera, that enables the user to make an initial determination orprediction of its quality. Thereafter the carcass and/or organ is sentto the hot sort in step 236.

Once the slaughter process has been completed, the carcass and/or organis sent into the chilling area 112 where initially yet another imagegathering means, such as a cold camera, is used to determine theappearance, size of the rib-eye, color, fat cover and marbling of eachcarcass (step 240). This information is used by a grader to determineyield grade, quality grade and so on (step 244). Thereafter, the taggertags the carcass and/or organ and captures data related to that carcassand/or organ (step 248). That data may include data that was recoveredfrom this image gathering means, the grader or any other previouslyperformed step. The information is then sent to the central processor124 for storage in the database 132.

In step 252, a grader certification is performed meaning that theoriginal grade is confirmed by a second party. In step 256, grade inputfor payment is performed. This typically involves determining the actualamount of money that may be received for the given grade. The carcassand/or organ is then sent to a sort panel to be stored on cooler railsin step 260. Thereafter, the carcass and/or organ is sorted and storedin a cooler for a predetermined amount of time in step 264. Duringcooler sort, the location of the carcass and/or organ is known and maybe tied to any of the previously mentioned information. This enables theproduction facility to quickly locate the carcass and/or organ in thecooler if it is determined that the given carcass and/or organ needs tobe recalled and/or retrieved for any purpose.

After the carcass and/or organ has stayed in the cooler for apredetermined amount of time, the carcass and/or organ is sent from thechilling area 112 to the fabrication area 116. As the carcass and/ororgan passes between the chilling area 112 and the fabrication area 116,it is weighed at a cold fabrication scale (step 268). At the coldfabrication scale, the carcass and/or organ tag information is capturedand stored and sent to the central processor 124 and stored in thedatabase 132. Additionally, a DNA sample may be taken from the carcassand/or organ as it passes across the cold fabrication scale. This mayensure a higher level of accuracy in determining and tracing the originsof a carcass and/or organ. Thereafter, a primal drop of two tables isperformed in step 272. Each product may be sorted and produced accordingto known methods.

Referring now to FIG. 3, an explanation of the different types ofproducts and the amount of time required to produce such products willbe discussed in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.Because the fabrication process is a known process, it is possible tocreate a window of traceability 300 that allows each product to beaccurately traced though the fabrication process. For example, properlyremoving an intact liver from a beef carcass may typically correlate toa product type called “type 1,” which is a product that takesapproximately 17 minutes to remove from the carcass. This results in afirst window of traceability 300.sub.1 equaling approximately 17 minutesfor a type 1 product. Another product may take a longer amount of timeto produce and would therefore correlate to a different product typehaving a different length of time needed for it to be properlyprocessed. For example, a product of type 4 may correspond to theprocessing of pork ribs, including the removal of the lungs from thepleural cavities. Based on ergonomic studies and known fabricationmethods, it may be determined that a fourth window of traceability300.sub.4, corresponding to product type 4, is approximately 18.5minutes. This way, each window of traceability 300 may correspond to adifferent product or part of the slaughter process. Each time a windowof traceability 300 is determined, it can be traced to a carcass' ID,lot number, and ultimately feedlot of origin. There may be any number oftraceability windows 300 in a given fabrication process, and each may,though it is not required, correspond to a different product (e.g.,300.sub.2, 300.sub.3, 300.sub.n).

Referring back to FIG. 2, once each product has been produced, it issent to the packaging and shipping area 120 where it is packaged with apackaging bar code (step 276). Packaging may include individuallypackaging each product or grouping a number of products together into abox, for example, such that the box contains a number of carcassesand/or organs. One box may correspond to four or five differentcarcasses and/or organs and each carcass and/or organ is not necessarilyassociated with the same animal. However, the information printed on thebox may include the product code or the type of products that arepackaged within, together with the serial number of the box, time ofpackaging of the box and the production shift in which it was packaged.Again this information is sent to the central processor 124 and saved inthe database 132. Once the packages have been properly labeled, they areshipped to the end customer (step 280).

Referring now to FIG. 4, a method of tracing an end product, andpreferably an organ, back to its origin will be described in accordancewith embodiments of the present invention. Initially, in step 404, arequest to determine the origin of a product is received at the trackingmember 128, at which time the requestor provides the box labelinformation, such as the bar code applied in step 276 of FIG. 2, whichis received by the central processor 124 in step 408. Such boxinformation may include, without limitation, the box serial number,product code, time of production/packaging of the box, and theproduction shift in which the product was packaged. Upon receipt of therequest, the box label information may be input into the tracking member128, as in step 412, though the information may also be input directlyto the central processor 124 or at a remote terminal that cancommunicate with the central processor 124 and/or the database 132. Oncethe label information is input, the product specific fabrication time isdetermined in step 416. Using the product specific fabrication time, acorresponding fabrication window or window of traceability 300 isdetermined in step 420. The window of traceability 300 may be used tohelp determine the number of carcasses and/or organs that were on thefabrication floor during the determined fabrication window (step 424).

Once the number of carcasses and/or organs on the fabrication floorduring a given window of traceability 300 is determined, the trackingmember 128 is able to determine the carcass ID for each carcass and/ororgan determined to be on the fabrication floor in step 428, utilizinginformation from the database 132 (step 428). The tracking member 128may then cross-reference the carcass IDs using the head tag system. Thecross-referencing performed by the tracking member 128 in step 432 thenallows the number of animal lots to be determined in step 436.Specifically, the tracking member 128 determines the number of animallots on the fabrication floor during the determined window oftraceability 300. That information can then be used to determine theorigin of each of those animal lots in step 440. Based on thisinformation, the tracking member 128 may then be able to generate areport for the requester of the origin information (step 444). Thereport may include, but is not limited to, the carcass ID, lotidentification number, kill date, fabrication time, number of potentialcarcasses in the box, number of potential animals in the box, potentialmember of kill lots in the box, and the corresponding animal feed lot ofeach kill lot. This information is generally based on the window oftraceability 300 and the corresponding information that was stored inthe database 132.

The management and tracking system 100 of the present invention allowsfor backwards and forwards tracking of a carcass, organ and/or animalfrom any point during the production, fabrication and consumptionprocess. Using embodiments of the present invention, any carcass, organand/or animal may be recalled or withdrawn within a time frame of abouttwo hours during the production process. The data management andtracking system 100 may also be used to produce reports and sell databack to producers by lot and/or by individual animals within that lot.Also various steps, for example, the organ-scanning step, may becorrelated with other steps and information related to that test ismaintained in the database 132 along with the correspondingcarcass/animal. That data may be sold back to animal health suppliers toallow them to determine how certain animals and/or lots are affected bya particular type of treatment for organs and/or any other healthconcerns.

The system is also compliant with USDA and FDA regulations thereforemaking it safe and reliable to the consumers. The process may alsoimprove the sorting efficiency rate of the carcass which in turn leadsto subprimal maximization. Additionally, because the window oftraceability 300 can be determined throughout the production process,information relating to the fabrication of a given product type does notnecessarily need to be stored in the database 132 for each carcass. Thismakes it easier to maintain a database 132 and track carcasses duringthe fabrication and production process.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a system 900 for administering a drug programrelated to livestock is described in accordance with certain embodimentsof the present invention. The system 900 generally comprises a meatproduction facility 901, which contains a number of production areas(not shown), a database 902, a server 903, at least one image gatheringmeans 904, at least one external server 905, and at least one displayapparatus 906. While the discussion presented below with respect to theimage gathering means 904, at least one external server 905 and at leastone display apparatus 906 refers to each structure singularly, it shouldbe recognized, and it is intended, that a plurality of these featuresmay exist and operate as a part of one or more embodiments of thepresent invention.

The server 903 and the external server 905 further comprise a processor907 and memory 908, in addition to the internal circuitry, software andcomponents typically associated with computer servers (not shown). Theimage gathering means 904 is operably and functionally connected to theserver 903, via standard means, such that information may be freelytransmitted in both directions between the image gathering means 904 andthe server 903, or in a single direction only. Similarly, the database902 is operably and functionally connected to the server 903, viastandard means, such that information can be freely transmitted in bothdirections between the database 902 and the server 903, or in a singledirection only. As can be appreciated, while the external server 905 isalso operably and functionally connected to the server 903 via standardmeans, such that information may be freely transmitted between theexternal server 905 and the server 903, it may be desirable to configurethis interconnection such that the flow of information may be limited todelivery of information from the server 903 to the external server 905,but not vice versa.

In operation, the system 900 functions substantially as described below.A livestock breeder will typically deliver livestock to the meatproduction facility 901 for slaughter. Upon receipt of such livestock,data concerning the livestock delivered and the delivering breeder istypically obtained, as previously described. This data may include,without limitation, the date and time of delivery, the specific lotnumber or numbers of livestock delivered, the number of animalsdelivered, the sex of each of the animals, the ear tag numbers of eachanimal, if any, the anticipated date and time of slaughter, the name andaddress of the breeder, the type(s) of livestock bred by that breeder,whether that breeder indicates that the livestock delivered have beengiven one or more drugs to increase their health in advance ofslaughter, what types and/or brand names of drugs had been given, ifany, and similar information. Once this information is obtained, it isinput into the server 903. Each item of information is then linkedtogether by the server 903 and stored and/or archived in the database902 as a packet of linked information, or the server 903 may tag oridentify each item of information with an electronic signature or datapointer so that each item may be stored and/or archived in the database902 individually in a form that is readable by the server 903 and thatcan be readily linked, associated or joined with other data points bythe server 903 at a future point in time.

As each delivered animal is slaughtered, it is broken down into aplurality of carcasses and meat products, which will travel betweenproduction areas in the production facility 901 where they will beprocessed into their final form and packaged for sale. Carcasses andmeat products typically move through the meat production facility 901via mechanical means of transport known to those of skill in the art,such as conveyer belts, hooks, wheeled carts, or similar means oftransport. The image gathering means 904 may be located at any number oflocations within the meat production facility 901, but is preferablylocated over, under, and/or adjacent to the transport means so that acarcass or meat product, and preferably an organ 913, may travel withinclose proximity to the image gathering means 904 as it moves from onelocation in the production facility 901 to another. This way, a carcassor meat product, and preferably an organ 913, may pass within the fieldof view of the image gathering means 904, allowing the image gatheringmeans 904 to generate one or more images of it automatically, or maypass within reach of an operator who may then manually place the imagegathering means 904 in an optimal position to generate one or moreimages. Once an image has been generated, the image gathering means 904transmits the image electronically to the server 903 where it is taggedor identified by the server 903 with an electronic signature or datapointer, thus enabling it to be linked with other information alreadypresent and/or archived in the database 902 containing a related tag oridentifier and stored as a part of a discreet packet of linkedinformation, and/or stored or archived in the database 902 as anindividual item of information that can be readily linked with otherdata points at a future point in time. Thereafter, the image may betransmitted outside of the production facility 901 to an external server905 as a single item of data or as part of a series of linkedinformation, where it may be visualized on a display apparatus 906 as animage and/or part of a data report.

By way of example, and without wishing to be limited in any manner,consider that, after an animal has been humanely dispatched, it issubjected to a washing procedure inside of the production facility 901.One or more image gathering means 904 may be present in the washing areaof the production facility 901 so that it may generate an image of theanimal as it is being washed. This image, which may be tagged with thetime the image was generated by the image gathering means 904 itself, isthen sent to the server 903 where it is tagged or identified with anelectronic signature or data pointer so as to allow it to be linkeddirectly to the information gathered about the animal as it was broughtin, as discussed above. Since the image of the washed animal will beobtained shortly after delivery of the animal in question, it will bepossible for the server 903 to associate the image of the animalgenerated during washing with certain identifying data for the animalgathered at intake, such as an ear tag number and lot of origin, thatalready exist as stored and/or archived information in the database 902.Therefore, in linked form, this image may be used to ultimately tracethe animal, in the form it exists as it is being washed, to a head tagnumber, lot of origin and ultimately to the breeder that delivered theanimal for slaughter, in addition to all of the other informationobtained at intake.

This process may continue for each successive step in the productionprocess, which are described above, such that images may be generated byan image gathering means 904 at numerous locations along the productionline and each linked to the information regarding the production stepthat preceded it. Thus, when an image of a carcass or meat product, andpreferably an organ 913, is obtained by the image gathering means 904,it may be linked to one or more images obtained at the immediatelypreceding step in the production process, and ultimately traced backwardsuch that the image of the carcass or meat product, and preferably anorgan 913, can be directly linked to information concerning the breeder,whether that breeder indicated that a drug had been administered inadvance of slaughter, the sex and weight of the animal at the time ofdelivery, and similar information. This information, which is beinggathered and linked electronically, allows the production facility 901to receive and analyze information concerning a single animal as it isbeing processed, in near real-time.

The image gathering means 904 will preferably be located over thetransport means such that it can generate an image of a carcass or meatproduct, and preferably an organ 913, from above, though it may also belocated under or adjacent to the transport means and/or mounted on amobile apparatus such that its position may be moved between each ofthese positions as well as any position in between. This way, a carcassor meat product, and preferably an organ 913, may pass within the fieldof view of the image gathering means 904, allowing the image gatheringmeans 904 to generate one or more images of it automatically, or maypass within reach of an operator who may then manually place the imagegathering means 904 in an optimal position to generate one or moreimages. The use of a transparent means of transport is contemplated forthe present invention, to allow the image gathering means 904 to be ableto generate images of an item of interest from underneath the transportmeans. The entirety of the transport means may be transparent or it maybe transparent in sections. Preferably, the image gathering means 904will be located along the meat production line immediately after alocation where a stamped determination of grade or quality is made on acarcass or meat product, and preferably an organ 913, so that the imagegathering means 904 can generate one or more images depicting, andtherefore evidencing, the grade or quality given at the earliestpossible time.

In one embodiment, the image gathering means 904 is programmed togenerate images automatically and contains software that enables it todetermine when an item passing by it on the transport means is centeredin its field of view. Such software may be one of many types known tothose of skill in the art, but may include color recognition softwarethat recognizes the difference in color between the transport means andthe item to be imaged that has been placed on the transport means, aswell as heat recognition software that is operable to detect thedifference in temperature between the transport means and the item to becaptured in one or more images. The image gathering means 904 will alsobe operable to determine when it has generated an image of an item thatis centered and in focus from an image that is out of focus, where theitem to be imaged is fully or partially blocked from the field of viewof the image gathering means 904, where the item to be imaged is notcentered, and/or that has similar troubles. The image gathering means904 will thus be operable to alert the production facility 901 as to thefailure, so that the item to be imaged can be re-imaged and/or manuallyinvestigated. Such an alert may be of many means, ranging from anelectronic alert sent to the server 903 to an audible alarm that willsound in the production area where the image gathering means 904 islocated to alert the production facility 901 that the image gatheringmeans 904 failed to obtain or generate an acceptable image. Thisdifficulty may also be overcome by the presence of more than one imagegathering means 904 in succession along the transport means, whereby asuccessive image gathering means 904 may generate an acceptable image ofthe item that was not successfully imaged by a previous image gatheringmeans 904.

The software of the image gathering means 904 will also enable it todistinguish between slight differences in color in an item to be imagedand to zoom in on a particular area that may be of interest to generatea magnified image of a specific area of the item in question. The imagegathering means 904 is thus able to distinguish between the native colorof the item in question and any colored aberrations or foreign objectsthat may exist on such an item, but utilizing color recognition softwareas described above. By way of example, and without desiring to belimited in any manner, consider a beef liver that has been inspected bythe USDA and given a grade via the application of one or more stamps.The image gathering means 904 will be able to distinguish between thenatural color of the beef liver and the color of the USDA stamp suchthat it may zoom in on the stamp to obtain a close-up image of it. Theimage gathering means 904 will also be able to distinguish between thecolor of an abnormality on an organ and the natural color of the organitself, thereby enabling it to zoom in on an abnormality and generate amagnified image of it. Once the image gathering means 904 determinesthat an acceptable image of the item in question has been generated, ittransmits the image electronically to the server 903, as describedabove.

Because the system 900 is fully automated, it is possible for the server903 to create reports containing packets of linked data concerning theslaughter and meat production statistics of an individual animal, or agroup of animals, while that animal, or those animals, are still in theproduction facility 901. Therefore, the quality and health of an animal,or group of animals, as determined by the quality and grading stampsgiven to the carcasses, meat products and/or organs 913 derived fromsuch animals, can be tracked and linked to a variety of relatedinformation, in near real-time. For example, the grade given to an organcan be ascertained by the image gathering means 904 and sent to theserver 903 where it may be linked to information about the breeder thatraised the animal from which the organ was derived as well asinformation as to whether that animal had been given a drug to increaseits health in advance of slaughter. It is also possible for the server903 to generate reports that link information about a specific breederwith images obtained as described herein, evidencing the quality and/orgrading actually given to the animals delivered to the productionfacility 901 by that breeder over a certain period of time, thusrevealing historical trends about the actual quality and grade of theanimals raised by that breeder. It is also possible for the server 903to generate reports that show linked data concerning, for example, allof the organs processed by the production facility 901 over a specifiedperiod of time, the grading each organ received, and the source of theanimals from which the organs were derived. The server 903 can alsogenerate reports linking information regarding the quality and/or gradegiven to specific carcasses, meat products or organs 913 withinformation as to whether the animals those carcasses, meat products ororgans 913 were derived from had been given a drug to increase theirhealth in advance of slaughter. Further, the server 903 can generatereports linking information showing the quality or grade actually givento an animal, or to a group of animals, with the administration of oneor more specific types, or brand names, of drugs in advance ofslaughter. As can be appreciated, it is possible for the server 903 togenerate many different types of reports beyond and in addition to theexamples provided above, as there are numerous ways in which theinformation gathered by the system 900 may be combined. Preferably, thereports generated by the server 903 will contain, at a minimum,information linking the health, quality or grade of an organ to theadministration, or lack of administration, of a drug to an animal inadvance of slaughter. The production facility 901 may elect to utilizethe reports generated as a commodity, by selling the reports generatedon a pre-request basis, a pre-purchased basis, a line-item basis, aper-request basis, an ongoing basis over a specified period of time(e.g. monthly, weekly, etc.), or by any number of other commerciallyviable means.

These types of reports, consisting of linked information created by theserver 903, can be stored and/or archived in the database 902 ortransmitted to an external server 905 that is operable to receive suchinformation and viewed on a suitable display apparatus 906, such as atelevision or computer monitor. It will thus be possible for theproduction facility 901 to generate a variety of reports of linkedinformation related to its daily operations and to store and/or archivethose reports in the database 902 on a long term basis for future use.It is also possible for an entity other than the production facility901, that has access to an external server 905 capable of receivingreports of linked information generated by the server 903, to receivesuch reports and to view them on a suitable display apparatus 906.Additionally, one of the objects of the present invention is for theserver 903 to provide reports of linked information to an externalserver 905 in a secured format, such as read-only, whereby neither therecipient of the linked information, nor the external server 905, iscapable of modifying or altering the report. This way, the productionfacility 901 can utilize the server 903 to generate and deliver reportsto an external display apparatus 906, via an external server 905, suchthat the recipient of those reports can view them for a specified periodof time, with the reports being secured such that the reports can not besaved or retained by the external server 905 in any manner. However, theserver 903 is operable to transmit reports of linked information in anyformat desired and, as such, linked information may be electronicallyretained, printed onto paper or other suitable materials, and/ormodified by the recipient, if desired.

It is also an object of the present invention to allow an entity outsideof the production facility 901 to submit to the server 903, via theexternal server 905, certain information, preferences and/or businessrules as to what linked information that entity may desire to see in oneor more reports, which will be used by the server 903 to generate one ormore reports for the entity, on an ongoing basis or otherwise. This maybe accomplished on a one-time basis, thereby making it equivalent to astanding order for one or more reports containing the same linkedinformation, or on numerous successive occasions, thereby allowing eachordered report to contain different linked information, and theproduction facility 901 may program the server 903 to receive suchrequests in any number of manners. For instance, the server 903 may beconfigured such that the external entity may create an account on theserver whereby it will “log in” to the server 903 to submit a requestfor one or more reports, or the server 903 may be configured to allowrequests to be received on a one-time basis, under certaincircumstances, and each may be configured with one or more of a varietyof standard payment options, as are known by those of skill in the art.For example, if the external entity is a drug company, that company maydesire to receive and/or purchase reports containing linked informationregarding the health and quality of certain organs 913 derived fromlivestock that had been administered a certain drug or combination ofdrugs produced by that drug company, in a variety of doses and/oramounts, or a certain drug or combination of drugs produced by adifferent drug company, such as a competitor, or they may elect toreceive information regarding the health of organs 913 derived fromlivestock that are not presently purchasing drugs or combinations ofdrugs from the drug company. Under certain embodiments of the presentinvention, the drug company would be able to submit a request for one ormore reports containing such linked information, to be generated on aone-time or ongoing, standing order-type basis, and it may submit thisrequest directly to the production facility's 901 server 903. Theproduction facility's 901 server 903 may be configured to require thatthe drug company provide certain information to the server 903 beforethe generated report(s) is transmitted, such as the drug company's name,address, contact person, means of payment, preferred format for thegenerated report(s), and similar information, in addition to thespecifics regarding the linked information concerning organs, livestock,drugs or combination of drugs, and breeders to be included in suchreport(s). Should the drug company desire to create an account with theproduction facility's 901 server 903, this information may be retainedby the server 903 to facilitate delivery of future generated reports.This way, the drug company may submit a request on a per-report basis,or it may create an account with instructions for the server 903 togenerate and deliver reports of linked information on a continuingbasis, such that the drug company may receive the same type of reportfor successive periods of time, such as annual, quarterly, monthly,weekly and/or daily reports containing certain linked information. Theserver 903 is thus operable in such a way so as to be able to receivesuch requests and/or to create and maintain such accounts, and toproduce such reports, from a plurality of external servers 905. Theserver 903 is also operable to retain an accounting of all reportsgenerated and delivered to external servers 905 so that accurate billingfor the generated reports may be accomplished by the production facility901.

Referring to FIG. 10, a method of administering a drug program relatedto livestock utilizing certain embodiments of the present invention ispresented. As depicted therein, a meat producer 1001 is ultimately ableto produce better meat 1007 because of the interrelationships madepossible by the present invention. By utilizing certain embodiments ofthe system 900 described herein, the meat producer 1001 is able togenerate one or more images that evidence the quality and/or gradeactually given to animals, portions of animals, or organs derived fromanimals, that are delivered to it for slaughter by a breeder 1003, andis able to link that evidence to any number of data points andinformation that is input into, already existing and/or archived in thedatabase 902 to generate one or more reports analyzing and summarizingthis information. Such image evidence may thus be linked to information1004 that may be of economic importance to a drug company 1002, such aswhether or not a breeder 1003 has administered a drug or combination ofdrugs 1005 designed to increase the overall health of the breeder's 1003animals, to its animals in advance of slaughter, and whether the drugcompany's drugs, as administered, are efficacious. The drug company 1002will be able to order reports from the meat producer 1001 containinginformation regarding the use and efficacy of its drugs that produceeffects capable of being captured by the image gathering means 904 ofthe system 900 of the present invention.

By way of example, presume that the drug company 1002 produces a drug1005 containing the antibiotic tylosin (also known as tilmicosin), thatis marketed as a pharmaceutical designed to increase the overall healthof an animal, such as a cow, that is being prepared for slaughter by afast conversion to a high protein diet. This drug 1005, being anantibiotic, would serve to reduce the cow's susceptibility to liverabscesses that commonly result from such a change in diet, therebydecreasing the total number of abscesses present in the cow's liver andincreasing the health, quality and, ultimately, the grade given to theliver during the production process. Alternatively, the drug 1005containing the antibiotic tylosin may be marketed as a pharmaceuticaldesigned to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease in swine, whichwould serve to reduce the incidence and amount of lung tissue thatattaches to the pleural membranes of a pig's rib cage in pigs sufferingfrom certain respiratory diseases, thereby increasing the health andgrade of the pig carcass being processed, as swine displaying little tono lung tissue attached to the pleural membranes lining the rib cagereceive the highest quality rating and grades. Similarly, the drug 1005containing the antibiotic tylosin may be marketed as a pharmaceuticaldesigned to reduce the incidence of respiratory disease in cattle, whichwould serve a similar purpose as the pharmaceutical marketed for swineand ultimately serve to increase the health and grade of the cattlebeing processed. These effects, the presence or absence of liverabscesses and the presence or absence of lung tissue on the pleuralmembranes, are readily visible and can be viewed in an image captured bythe image gathering means 904 of the present invention. Therefore, thevisual effect of tylosin, or the absence of tylosin, on an organ, ascaptured in an image by the image gathering means 904 of the presentinvention, can be used as a means of determining whether tylosin wasadministered to the animal that organ was derived from in advance ofslaughter. For instance, images generated by the image gathering means904 of the present invention showing a large amount of lung tissueattached to the pleural lining of the rib case of a pig or cow and ahigh number of abnormalities (i.e. abscesses) on a beef liver can beused as visual evidence that a drug containing tylosin was notadministered to an animal in advance of slaughter. In contrast, imagesshowing little to no attached lung tissue and a negligible number ofabnormalities can be used as visual evidence that such a drug wasadministered.

In addition to the foregoing, the visual effect of a drug captured bythe image gathering means 904 of the present invention may also comefrom other portions of an animal, such as its muscle meat. For instance,a USDA quality grading of bovine meat is typically given based onseveral factors that affect the palatability (tenderness, juiciness, andflavor) of meat. These factors include, without limitation, the age ofthe animal, the firmness and texture of the meat derived from thatanimal, and the amount and distribution of marbling, or intramuscularfat, within the lean portion of the meat from that animal. Typically,beef carcass quality grading is based on the degree of marbling, whichis the distribution of fat within the fibers of the lean muscle meat ofan animal. To determine the overall quality and grading of an animal,USDA graders typically evaluate the amount and distribution of marblingin the rib eye muscle, between the 12th and 13th ribs, by visuallyinspecting the meat along the production line. The result of theinspection is called a “Preliminary Yield Grade” and the determinedquality of the rib eye, by USDA standards, is deemed indicative of thequality and grade of the entire animal. As may be appreciated, thedegree of marbling of a rib eye can also be captured visually by theimage gathering means 904 of the present invention, such that the image,showing the degree of marbling, together with image evidence captured bythe image gathering means 904 of the USDA inspection stamps, asdescribed above, can be sent to the server 903, where it can be linkedto other information regarding the animal the rib eye was derived from,such as the administration of a drug or drug program to that animal inadvance of slaughter.

For example, presume that the drug company 1002 produces a drug 1005containing either racoptamine hydrochloride or zilpaterol hydrochloride,both of which are beta receptor agonists similar in structure andpharmacology to catecholamine derivatives. This drug 1005 may bemarketed as a pharmaceutical designed to increase lipolysis and reducelipogenesis in cattle, which would serve to increase a cow's live weightgain and red meat yield, thereby increasing the quality and, ultimately,the grade given to the cow, all without impacting the marbling of therib eye. As can be appreciated, this will serve to yield higher qualitymeat products that sell at a higher price, increasing the profitsavailable for the meat producer 1001 and the breeder 1003.Alternatively, the drug 1005 containing racoptamine hydrochloride may bemarketed as a pharmaceutical designed to increase lipolysis and reducelipogenesis in swine, which would serve to increase a pig's live weightgain and lean meat yield, thereby increasing the quality and,ultimately, the grade given to the pig, thereby yielding higher qualitymeat products that sell at a higher price. The effects of these betareceptor agonists are readily visible and can be viewed in an imagecaptured by the image gathering means 904 of the present invention.Therefore, the visual effect of racoptamine hydrochloride or zilpaterolhydrochloride, or the absence of racoptamine hydrochloride or zilpaterolhydrochloride, on the rib eye or other meat used for quality gradingpurposes, as captured in an image by the image gathering means 904 ofthe present invention, can be used as a means of determining whetherracoptamine hydrochloride or zilpaterol hydrochloride was administeredto an animal in advance of slaughter. For instance, images generated bythe image gathering means 904 of the present invention showing a largeamount of lean muscle mass and a high degree of marbling in the rib eyeor similar meat can be used as visual evidence that a drug containingracoptamine hydrochloride or zilpaterol hydrochloride was administeredto an animal in advance of slaughter. In contrast, images showing littlelean muscle mass and a negligible degree of marbling of the rib eye orsimilar meat can be used as visual evidence that such a drug was notadministered.

These types of beta receptor agonists are used more frequently incertain breeds of cattle, such as male Holsteins and other exotic breedsof cattle, which are not usually bred and raised for meat production.Holsteins, being a breed typically used by the dairy industry, tend tobe raised and kept by certain specialized farms and ranches and are nottypically bred by commercial meat breeders 1003. It thus may be usefulto identify the breed of cattle being visually inspected by the imagegathering means 904 before obtaining the image of the rib eye todetermine whether a drug or combination of drugs was administered to thecow in advance of slaughter, as certain breeds such as Holsteins arelikely to have always been administered this drug and capturing an imagein its rib eye may not provide any additional useful information.However, the presence of a Holstein in a lot of cattle can help pinpointa feed lot of origin much more effectively than other breeds, as thenumber of potential feedlots of origin it could have come from islimited to dairy lots, which are more limited in number and geographythan meat production feedlots. Therefore, the identification of aHolstein breed in a particular lot of origin is still useful informationthat can be linked to other information of interest to the drug company1002.

The drug 1005 of interest to the drug company 1002 need not be limitedto a single drug but may be a combination of drugs, each designed toincrease the overall health of livestock to be delivered to the meatproducer 1001 for slaughter. For example, the drug 1005 may consist ofat least two drugs, one that does not necessarily have an effect on thehealth of the animal that is readily captured by an image obtained bythe systems of the present invention, and a second that does produce aneffect capable of being captured by such an image and that serves toreadily distinguish the presence of the second drug from the absence ofthe second drug. The second drug, in addition to serving to increase theoverall health of the animal it is administered to, may thus serve as anindicator as to whether the combination of drugs 1005 is beingadministered. In this instance, the drug company 1002 could obtainreports of linked information 1004 from the meat producer 1001concerning the effect of the second drug on a breeder's 1003 animals,which would serve to indicate whether that breeder 1003 is administeringthe combination of drugs 1005 to its livestock. By way of example,presume that the first drug is a drug such as monensin sodium, which isdesigned to prevent and control the growth of certain coccidial bacteria(such as E. zuernii and E. bovis), and thus prevent coccidiosis. Whilethis drug will certainly serve to increase the overall health of ananimal, it is likely that it would not have an effect that is readilycaptured by an image generated by the present invention. It maytherefore be administered concurrently with a second drug such astylosin. As described above, the effect of tylosin is quite apparent inthat a treated animal will display readily visible effects, such as adecrease in the number and severity of liver abscesses versus anuntreated liver or a reduction in the amount of lung tissue attached tothe pleural membranes, an image of which can be readily captured by theimage gathering means 904 of the present invention. Therefore, whenadministered in combination, the effect of tylosin, the second drug andin this case the indicator drug, can be used as a means of determining,visually, whether tylosin was administered to an animal in advance ofslaughter. Since monensin sodium, the first drug, is administeredtogether with tylosin, the effect of tylosin can also be used as a meansof determining, visually, whether monensin sodium was administered to ananimal in advance of slaughter.

By and through embodiments of the present invention, the drug company1002 may utilize the server 903 to order reports from the meat producer1001 containing visual information regarding the effect of its drugs,such as those described above among others, that produce effects capableof being captured by the image gathering means 904 of the system 900 ofthe present invention. The drug company 1002 may utilize thisinformation in many ways, such as evaluating whether a particular drugor combination of drugs 1005 is effectively treating a particular maladyor improving the health of livestock in the manner intended, whethercertain breeders 1003 are using the drug company's 1002 products so asto more effectively focus its marketing efforts, and others. The drugcompany 1002 may elect to contact the meat producer 1001 to requestinformation 1004 on one or more breeders 1003 that the drug companybelieves may not be purchasing and/or administering one or more of thedrug company's 1002 drugs 1005 to their livestock in advance ofslaughter. Specifically, the drug company 1002 may request that the meatproducer 1001 provide the drug company with information 1004 consistingof image data showing the quality and grade given to the organs and/orrib eyes derived from a breeder's 1003 animals, linked to the contactinformation for that breeder 1003 and to information provided to themeat producer 1001 by the breeder 1003 as to whether or not a drug wasadministered to such livestock. Upon receipt of this request, the meatproducer 1001 is able to utilize the system 900 of the present inventionto generate a report containing this information 1004, and is able totransmit this information 1004 to the drug company 1002 via the meansdescribed herein. The drug company 1002 can then visualize the linkedinformation 1004 contained in the report and determine whether thebreeder 1003 is, in fact, purchasing and administering the drug 1005. Inthe event that the breeder 1003 is not utilizing the drug 1005, the drugcompany 1002 may use the report of linked information 1004 to market thedrug 1005 to the breeder 1003. Alternatively, as a means of bolsteringits marketing efforts, the drug company 1002 may request that the meatproducer 1001 send it information 1004 regarding the quality and gradingof animals that have been administered one or more of the drug company's1002 drugs 1005, in order to demonstrate to one or more breeders 1003that the drugs 1005 do serve to increase the health and quality ofanimals. Based on this marketing effort, the breeder 1003 may elect topurchase the drug 1005 and administer it to its animals, which willcause the breeder 1003 to produce healthier livestock 1006 for deliveryto the meat producer 1001. As will be appreciated, the receipt ofhealthier livestock 1006 allows the meat producer 1001 to produce andsell better meat 1007. In the event that the breeder 1003 isadministering the drug 1005 to its livestock 1006, the drug company mayutilize the information 1004 obtained from the meat producer 1001 todetermine whether to continue the sale of the drug 1005 to the breeder1003 on existing terms, or whether to adjust the price of the drug 1005,according to the information 1004 obtained. For example, the drugcompany 1002 may have elected to sell the drug 1005 to the breeder 1003initially at a reduced rate, in order to gain business and sell itsproduct. If, based on the information 1004 obtained from the meatproducer 1001, it is evident that the drug 1005 is serving to allow thebreeder 1003 to produce healthier livestock 1006, then the drug companymay elect to increase the sale price of the drug 1005 to the breeder1003, based on an actual increase in livestock health, as shown by theinformation 1004 contained on reports generated by the meat producer1001.

Referring to FIG. 11, another embodiment of a method for administering adrug program related to livestock utilizing certain embodiments of thepresent invention is presented. In this embodiment, the drug company1101 is marketing and selling a drug to a livestock breeder 1102 for areduced price (step 1104). The drug company 1101 may be doing this forany number of reasons, including, without limitation, utilizing areduced price in an attempt to introduce a new drug to the market, or asan introductory rate in an attempt to induce the breeder 1102 topurchase the drug on an ongoing basis. As before, the drug in questionneed not be a single drug, but may be a combination of one or moredrugs. The breeder 1102 purchases the drug for a reduced price (step1104) and administers it to all, or a portion, of his or her livestock(step 1105) prior to delivering the livestock to the meat producer 1103for slaughter. The breeder 1102 benefits from the reduced price bypaying less money for it, but also in that he or she need not continueto purchase the drug if it does not serve to increase the quality andhealth of the breeder's 1102 livestock. Preferably, the breeder 1102administers the drug to only a specific, identifiable portion of his orher livestock (step 1105), so as to provide a basis for comparing thequality and health of the animals that receive the drug with those thatdo not.

After administering the drug to his or her livestock (step 1105), thebreeder 1102 delivers the livestock to the meat producer 1103 forslaughter. The meat producer 1103 will typically pay the breeder 1102 aset amount for the livestock upon delivery, on a per pound basis. In thepresent embodiment, the meat producer 1103 pays the breeder 1102 atypical per-pound rate for the livestock, with the understanding thatthe meat producer 1103 will pay the breeder 1102 a bonus for thoseanimals that yield carcasses or meat products, and preferably organsand/or rib eyes, that receive a certain minimum USDA grade and/orquality rating.

The meat producer 1103 will be able to utilize the system 900 describedherein to track the livestock delivered by the breeder 1102 through theproduction process. By using the system 900, the meat producer 1103 willbe able to generate one or more reports that link image data showing thequality rating and/or grade given to a carcass, meat product or organ tothe specific lot of animals delivered by the breeder 1102 and, moreimportantly, to a specific animal. The meat producer 1103 will thus beable to determine which animals delivered meet the minimum quality andgrading standards agreed upon, and can pay the breeder 1102 an increasedamount of money for only those animals that meet these requirements(step 1106). By utilizing the reports of linked information in thismanner, the meat producer 1103 is providing a financial incentive to thebreeder 1102 to provide healthier, higher quality livestock forslaughter. Alternatively, the meat producer 1103 can require that acertain percentage of the breeder's 1102 livestock meet the minimumacceptable requirements before any increase in money will be paid. Thisway, the meat producer 1103 need not pay additional money for smallpercentages of better quality animals, which may be attributable torandom chance rather than the administration of a drug or combination ofdrugs to the breeder's 1102 livestock in advance of slaughter.

Additionally, the breeder 1102 may acquire the same reports utilized bythe meat producer 1103 so as to be able to determine whether the animalsgiven the drug (step 1105) were those that reached the minimum standardsof quality and grading and were thus of greater profit to the breeder1102. This way, the breeder 1102 will be able to determine whether thespecific, identifiable animals that were given the drug company's 1101drug(s) in advance of slaughter were those identified on the meatproducer's 1103 reports as being of higher quality and receiving ahigher grade. Based on this information, the breeder 1102 can determinewhether to continue to purchase the drug(s) from the drug company 1101and administer it/them to his or her livestock. In the event that thedrug served to increase the overall quality and health of the livestock,both the drug company 1101 and the meat producer 1103 will have inducedthe breeder 1102 into administering a drug program to his or herlivestock by providing financial incentives for the breeder 1102 topurchase and administer the drug in question.

Referring now to FIG. 12, an alternate embodiment of the method foradministering a drug program related to livestock presented in FIG. 11will be described. As with the previous embodiment, in this embodimentthe drug company 1101 is marketing and selling a drug to a livestockbreeder 1102 for a reduced price (step 1104), and the drug in questionneed not be a single drug, but may be a combination of one or moredrugs. The breeder 1102 purchases the drug for a reduced price (step1104) and administers it to all, or a portion, of his or her livestock(step 1105) prior to delivering the livestock to the meat producer 1103for slaughter. The breeder 1102 benefits from the reduced price in thathe or she is not paying full price at the outset and need not continueto purchase the drug if it does not serve to increase the quality andhealth of the breeder's 1102 livestock. In this embodiment, it ispreferable that the breeder 1102 administer the drug to all of his orher livestock (step 1105) and indicate to the meat producer 1103, upondelivery of the livestock for slaughter, that the drug has beenadministered (step 1105) in an effort to increase the quality and healthof the livestock. It is also preferable that the breeder 1102 indicateto the meat producer 1103 what drug has, or what combination of drugshave, been administered, and that the meat producer 1103 ensure thatthis information is collected from the breeder 1102 upon delivery of thelivestock.

In this embodiment, the meat producer 1103 pays the breeder 1102 atypical amount of money for the livestock delivered, notwithstanding theassertion that the drug has been administered to all of the livestock inquestion, with the understanding that the meat producer 1103 will paythe breeder 1102 a bonus for those animals that yield carcasses or meatproducts, and preferably organs, that receive a certain minimum USDAgrade and/or quality rating. In the event that the breeder 1102 electsto administer the drug (step 1105) to only a portion of his or heranimals, the meat producer 1103 may determine to pay the bonus to thebreeder 1102 for those animals that meet the minimum quality and gradingstandards and that have been given the drug(s).

The meat producer 1103 will be able to utilize the system 900 describedherein to track the livestock delivered by the breeder 1102 through theproduction process, as well as gather and link together informationrelevant to the quality and health of such livestock. By using thesystem 900, the meat producer 1103 will be able to generate one or morereports that link image data showing the quality rating and/or gradegiven to a carcass or meat product, and preferably an organ or rib eye,to the specific lot of animals delivered by the breeder 1102 and, moreimportantly, to a specific animal. The meat producer 1103 will also beable to include with these reports the linked information as to whichanimals were given the drug prior to delivery for slaughter, therebyverifying the quality and health of the livestock purported to havereceived the drug (step 1202). The meat producer 1103 can then pay thebreeder 1102 the bonus for only those animals that actually meet theminimum standards of quality and grading and, if the agreement regardingthe bonus requires the presence of the drug in question, that have beenadministered the drug (step 1203). By utilizing the reports of linkedinformation in this manner, the meat producer 1103 is providing afinancial incentive to the breeder 1102 to administer a drug program tohis or her livestock prior to slaughter that is based on not only thepresence of the drug in the animals, but also certain minimum standardsof quality and grading. In addition to the foregoing, the meat producer1103 can utilize the system 900 described herein to store the reportsgenerated on the breeder's 1102 livestock, thereby allowing the meatproducer 1103 to be able to generate reports containing historicaltrends on the quality and health of the livestock produced by thatbreeder 1102 over time (step 1204), as well as whether the drug inquestion serves to increase the health of such livestock produced bythat breeder 1102.

Referring to FIG. 13, a third embodiment of a method for administering adrug program related to livestock utilizing certain embodiments of thepresent invention is presented. In this embodiment, the drug company1101 is marketing and selling a drug or combination of drugs to alivestock breeder 1102 at a normal price (step 1301), with theunderstanding that the drug company 1101 will provide the breeder 1102with a rebate at a future point in time, provided that the breeder 1102can provide the drug company 1101 with evidence that the drug(s) inquestion was/were actually administered to the breeder's 1102 livestock.In this embodiment, the drug company 1101 has reason to believe that thedrug(s) in question has/have been proven to increase the quality andhealth of livestock and is basing the rebate on this fact. Therefore, inthe event that the breeder 1102 claims that a rebate is due, but cannotprovide evidence of an actual increase in health and quality of thebreeder's 1102 livestock, the drug company 1101 will know that the drugswere not administered to the livestock for which the rebate is claimed.As before, the drug in question need not be a single drug, but may be acombination of one or more drugs. The breeder 1102 purchases the drug atits normal rate (step 1301) and administers it to all, or a portion, ofhis or her livestock (step 1302) prior to delivering the livestock tothe meat producer 1103 for slaughter. Preferably, the breeder 1102administers the drug to all of his or her livestock (step 1302) andindicates to the meat producer 1103 that the drug has been administered(step 1302) in an effort to increase the quality and health of thelivestock. It is also preferable that, upon delivery of the livestock,the breeder 1102 indicates to the meat producer 1103 what drug has, orwhat combination of drugs have, been administered.

After administering the drug to his or her livestock (step 1302), thebreeder 1102 delivers the livestock to the meat producer 1103 forslaughter, who pays the breeder 1102 a typical per-pound rate for thelivestock (step 1303). Alternatively, the meat producer 1103, at itsoption, may elect to pay the breeder 1102 an increase over the typicalper-pound rate on the basis that the drug in question has beenadministered to the livestock (step 1303). The meat producer 1103 willbe able to utilize the system 900 described herein to track the specificlot of livestock delivered by the breeder 1102 through the productionprocess, as well as to collect and link together information relevant tothe health and quality grading of the livestock delivered. By using thesystem 900, the meat producer 1103 will be able to generate one or morereports that link image data showing the quality rating and/or gradegiven to the carcasses or meat products, and preferably organs, derivedfrom the specific lot of animals delivered by the breeder 1102, therebyproviding image data showing the quality and/or grading each animal inthe lot received. The meat producer 1103 will also be able to link tothe reports information regarding the administration of the drug to thelot of animals in question in advance of slaughter, thereby providing areport showing the quality and/or grading given to each individualanimal in the lot in question along with the presence of the drug inquestion.

The breeder 1102 may then obtain these reports from the meat producer1103 (step 1304) in order to have the proof required by the drug company1101 of the administration of the drug. The breeder 1102 then providesthe reports to the drug company 1101 (step 1305), together with arequest for the rebate, pursuant to the agreement between the drugcompany 1101 and the breeder 1102. The drug company 1101 will thenprovide the rebate promised (step 1306), based on the evidence containedin the reports generated by the meat producer 1103. By utilizing thereports of linked information generated by the meat producer 1103 inthis manner, the breeder 1102 is able to receive a financial incentiveto purchase and administer the drug in question in an effort to providehealthier, higher quality livestock for slaughter, and will be able todetermine whether the administration of the drug (step 1302) actuallyserved to increase the quality and health of his or her livestock. Thedrug company 1101 is also able to require that a breeder 1102 provideevidence of actual use of the drug before giving any rebate, or similarfinancial incentive, to the breeder 1102 for the purchase of the drug.

Referring to FIG. 14, a fourth embodiment of a method for administeringa drug program related to livestock utilizing certain embodiments of thepresent invention is presented. In this embodiment, the drug company1101 is marketing and selling a drug to a livestock breeder 1102 at anormal price (step 1401), and may have reached the same agreement withthe breeder 1102 described in the previous embodiment, as before.Alternatively, the drug company 1101 may have reached an agreement withthe meat producer 1103 whereby the drug company 1101 agrees to reimbursethe meat producer 1103 a certain amount of money if the meat producer1103 agrees to pay those breeders 1102, that are known customers of thedrug company 1101, a higher per-pound rate for livestock that have beenadministered the drug company's 1101 drugs, provided that the meatproducer 1103 can provide the drug company 1101 with evidence that thedrug in question was actually administered to the livestock thatreceived the higher per-pound rate by the meat producer 1103. Either ofthese two agreements is contemplated for use with the presentembodiment. As with the previous embodiment, the drug company 1101 hasreason to believe that the drug in question has been proven to increasethe quality and health of livestock and is basing the money to be paid,in either arrangement, on this fact. As before, the drug in questionneed not be a single drug, but may be a combination of one or moredrugs.

The breeder 1102 purchases the drug at its normal rate (step 1401) andadministers it to all, or a portion, of his or her livestock (step 1402)prior to delivering the livestock to the meat producer for slaughter.Preferably, the breeder 1102 administers the drug to all of his or herlivestock (step 1402) and indicates to the meat producer 1103, upondelivery, that the drug company's 1101 drug(s) has/have been soadministered in an effort to increase the quality and health of thebreeder's 1102 livestock. Depending upon the parties to the agreementreached in this embodiment, the meat producer 1103 will either pay thebreeder 1102 a normal per-pound rate, or an increase over the normalper-pound rate, for the livestock delivered (step 1403). In the eventthat the agreement reached is between the drug company 1101 and thebreeder 1102, the meat producer 1103 will pay the breeder 1102 a normalper-pound rate (step 1403), as the breeder 1102 will be able to recoversome of its costs from the drug company 1101 through a rebate on theprice of the drug (step 1405). In the event that the agreement reachedis between the drug company 1101 and the meat producer 1103, the meatproducer 1103 will pay the breeder 1102 an increase over the per-poundrate (step 1403), as the meat producer 1103 will be able to recover someof its costs from the drug company 1101 through a rebate equal to, atleast, the total amount of the increase paid to the breeder 1102 (step1406).

After administering the drug to his or her livestock (step 1402), thebreeder 1102 delivers the livestock to the meat producer 1103 forslaughter, who pays the breeder 1102 a per-pound rate for the livestockthat is in accordance with the nature of the agreement, as describedabove (step 1403). The meat producer 1103 will be able to utilize thesystem 900 described herein to track the specific lot of livestockdelivered by the breeder 1102 through the production process and togather and link together information relative to the health and qualityrating of the delivered livestock. By using the system 900, the meatproducer 1103 will be able to generate one or more reports that linkpictorial evidence of the quality rating and/or grade given to thecarcasses or meat products, and preferably organs, derived from thespecific lot of animals delivered by the breeder 1102, thereby providingimage data showing the quality and/or grading each animal in the lotreceived. The meat producer 1103 will also be able to link to thereports information regarding the administration of the drug company's1101 drug to the lot of animals in question in advance of slaughter,thereby providing a report showing the quality and/or grading given toeach individual animal in the lot in question along with the presence ofthe drug in question.

The drug company 1101 may then obtain these reports from the meatproducer 1103 (step 1404) in order to have proof of the administrationof the drug to the specific lot of livestock, as well as proof of theamount paid to the breeder 1102 by the meat producer 1103 for suchlivestock. The drug company 1101 utilizes the information presented inthe reports generated by the meat producer 1103 to verify that theirdrug has been administered to the lot of livestock in question, and thenprovides a rebate to either the breeder 1102 or the meat producer 1103,pursuant to the specific agreement reached. If the agreement is betweenthe drug company 1101 and the breeder 1102, then the drug company 1101provides the breeder 1102 with a rebate on the price of the drug (step1405), as described in the previous embodiment. If the agreement isbetween the drug company 1101 and the meat producer 1103, then the drugcompany 1101 will refund at least the increase over the typicalper-pound rate paid by the meat producer 1103 (step 1406), based on theevidence contained in the reports generated by the meat producer 1103that the drug company's 1101 drug was actually used by the breeder 1102.

Referring to FIG. 15, a fifth embodiment of a method for administering adrug program related to livestock utilizing certain embodiments of thepresent invention is presented. In this embodiment, the drug company1101 is marketing and selling a drug to a livestock breeder 1102 at areduced price (step 1501), with the understanding that the meat producer1103 will pay the breeder 1102 an increase over the typical per-poundrate upon delivery of the breeder's 1102 livestock for slaughter. Inthis embodiment, the drug company 1101 is interested in purchasinginformation as to the efficacy of the drug in question and/or the use ofthe drug by one or more breeders 1102 and is willing to provide afinancial incentive to the meat producer 1103 to obtain suchinformation, as the drug company 1101 will then purchase reportsgenerated by the system 900 of the present invention from the meatproducer 1103 concerning the breeder's 1102 livestock and the efficacyof the drug(s) in such livestock. As before, the drug in question neednot be a single drug, but may be a combination of one or more drugs.

The breeder 1102 purchases the drug at a reduced rate (step 1501) andadministers it to all, or a portion, of his or her livestock (step 1502)prior to delivering the livestock to the meat producer for slaughter.Preferably, the breeder 1102 administers the drug to all of his or herlivestock (step 1502). It is also preferable that the meat producer 1103inquire as to whether the drug has been given to the breeder's 1102livestock when such livestock are delivered for slaughter, and mayrequire the breeder 1102 to provide this information as a prerequisiteto payment of the amount over the typical per pound rate. Provided thatthe breeder 1102 informs the meat producer 1103 that the drug(s)has/have been administered, the meat producer 1103 pays the breeder 1102an increase over the typical per-pound rate for the livestock (step1503), but only for those animals the breeder 1102 indicates have beengiven the drug company's 1101 drug. The meat producer 1103 will be ableto utilize the system 900 described herein to track the specific lot oflivestock delivered by the breeder 1102 through the production processand to gather and link together information relative to the health andquality grading of the livestock. By using the system 900, the meatproducer 1103 will be able to generate one or more reports that linkimage data showing the quality rating and/or grade given to thecarcasses or meat products, and preferably organs and rib eyes, derivedfrom the specific lot of animals delivered by the breeder 1102, therebyproviding pictorial evidence of the quality and/or grading each animalin the lot received. The meat producer 1103 will also be able to link tothe reports information regarding the administration of the drugcompany's 1101 drug to the lot of animals in question in advance ofslaughter, thereby providing a report showing the quality and/or gradinggiven to each individual animal in the lot in question along with thepresence of the drug in question.

The drug company 1101 then obtains the reports generated by the meatproducer 1103 (step 1504) in order to verify the administration of thedrug to the lot of livestock in question. The drug company 1101 willthen rebate the amount paid above the typical per-pound rate to the meatproducer 1103 (step 1505), based on the evidence contained in thereports generated by the meat producer 1103. Additionally, the drugcompany 1101 may pay the meat producer 1103 for the linked informationpresented in the reports generated by the meat producer 1103 (step1505), as such information may be used to generate historical trends asto which breeders 1102 are purchasing and administering the drugcompany's 1101 drugs and/or whether that drugs serve to actuallyincrease the overall health and quality of livestock (step 1506), whichthe drug company 1101 may use in future marketing, research anddevelopment efforts.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart depicting one embodiment of the present inventionwherein a process of analyzing, evaluating and/or processing meatproducts is provided. As shown, a meat product such as a carcass isprocessed into individual pieces in step 2002, such as serving orfor-sale sized portions. Subsequently, the piece may be trimmed at step2004 to remove any unwanted portion(s) and placed into a tray or packageat step 2006. The tray is placed on a conveyor belt at step 2008 toallow for ease of movement of the tray to subsequent locations andoperations. In certain embodiments, the conveyor belt passes through avision system and any associated trays pass through the vision at step2010. A camera provided within the vision system captures one or moreimages at step 2012 and the images are subjected to a vision algorithmat step 2014. The vision algorithm may, for example, identify a stockkeeping unit (“SKU”) associated with the tray. The vision systemcaptures information related to, for example: the presence of a productassociated with the tray, the styling of the product on the tray, and acolor of the product, and further stores such information.

At step 2016, the image(s) captured by the vision system are compared toa database. Such database is contemplates as comprising a plurality ofcomparison photos for comparison purposes to determine whether or notthe captures image(s) meet certain requirements and specifications. Therecorded image(s) may be saved to a database in step 2018, such as thedatabase of claim 2016 or a separate database. Images may be tagged,grouped, labeled, or saved based on any one or more characteristics. Atstep 2020, an analytical process is provided wherein it is determinedwhether or not the product meets certain specifications. In instanceswhere the product fails to meet certain specifications, the product isrejected at step 2022, wherein the tray and associated product arediverted from a process or conveyor belt. In the provided embodiment,the tray and product are reworked at step 2024 to correct anydeficiencies responsible for failing to meet specifications in step2020. The tray is then returned to, for example, step 2006 for furtherreview and processing. Where products meet specifications in step 2020,a determination is then made as to whether or not the product requirestopical application in step 2026. In instances where specifications aremet, further processing and treatment may still be necessary. In suchsituations, a topical solution (for example) is applied at step 2028.Subsequently, at step 2030, a determination is made regarding whether ornot the product and tray need to be directed and, if so, where and howsuch direction is to be made. For example, direction of products 2032and trays may be a function of the type or quality of product whereincertain like-products are directed to the same or similar stations.After direction, or where such direction is not required, the tray isfurther processed at step 2034. Such further processing includes, forexample, final wrapping and packaging of the product and tray.

FIG. 17 is a top plan view of a packaging and imaging system 2040according to one embodiment of the present invention. One or moreconveyor belts 2042, 2044 are provided for conveying trays 2046comprising a food product. Trays 2046 as shown in FIG. 17 comprise foodstorage/packaging trays having a meat product prior to final sealing ofthe product. In one embodiment, trays and product associated with andconveyed by conveyors 2042, 2044 are passed through respective domes2048 a, 2048 b. Domes 2048 a, 2048 b comprise vision system of thepresent invention, including camera(s) and laser features as shown anddescribed herein. Based on evaluated criteria evaluated in the domes2048 a, 2048 b, trays are diverted or routed to appropriate or desiredfurther steps. A diverter plate 2050 is provided to selectively diverttrays 2046 to at least one of a plurality of further processing steps.As shown in FIG. 17, trays 2046 analyzed by a dome 2048 b are divertedby a diverter plate 2050 for wrapping procedures occurring in anover-wrap machine 2054 a, 2054 b. In various embodiments, diverted plate2050 comprises an adjustably angled plate for facilitating a gravity-fedmovement of the trays 2046 to, for example, separate parallel conveyors2052 a, 2052 b. The embodiment of FIG. 17 depicts two downstreamoptions, each comprising a respective over-wrap machine 2054 a, 2054 b.In such embodiments, trays 2046 are wrapped using one or more knowntechniques and sent to further processes such as labeling, storing,freezing, shipping, shipping, etc. Although two over-wrap machines 2054a, 2054 b are provided in FIG. 17, various alternative embodimentscontemplate alternative arrangements. For example, in certainembodiments, a first path of diversion from the diverter plate 2050comprises an over-wrap machine and related process. A second path ofdiversion from the diverter plate 2050 comprises an additional anddistinct process, such as re-styling, treatment, expunging, or variouscombinations thereof. Thus, in certain embodiments, only product andtrays 2046 which comply with certain criteria as confirmed and analyzedby the vision system 2048 a, 2048 b are directed to wrapping processes,and product or trays 2046 which are non-compliant with certain criteriaas determined by the vision system 2048 a, 2048 b are diverted or routedaway from wrapping processes and subject to further treatment.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of trays 2046 and a packaging and imagingsystem according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown,trays 2046 are conveyed through vision systems 2048 a, 2048 b on one ormore conveyor belts 2044 a, 2044 b. Each tray 2046 is analyzed by avision system 2048 a, 2048 b and the vision system provides feedback tothe system related to what further processing is required for thetray(s) 2046. In the embodiment depicted in FIG. 3, each of the visionsystems 2048 a, 2048 b comprise fixed or integrated vision systems witha conveyor 2044 a, 2044 b. In alternative embodiments, however, visionssystems of the present invention comprise portable or stand-alonesystems that may be moved and employed at any one or more locationswithin a facility.

FIG. 19 is a top view of an imaging system 2060 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown, the imaging system 2060spans the width w of a conveyor belt or similar feature for conveyingproducts. The system 2060 comprises a plurality of lamps 2066 a, 2066 b,2066 c, 2066 d. In various embodiments, lamps 2066 comprises tube lampsof approximately 50 mm diameter. It will be recognized, however, thatthe present invention is not limited to such devices. Various lamps andlighting features are contemplated of use with the present invention.The system 2060 further comprises a camera box 2068 comprising one ormore cameras 2072, 2074 for capturing images of products conveyedthrough the system 2060. A laser box 2070 is provided proximal thecamera box 2068. The laser box 2070 comprises one or more lasers foranalyzing the shape of a meat product. For example, in certainembodiments, a laser box comprises a laser and displacement sensor forevaluating and measuring a three dimensional shape of meat productspassed through the system 2060. Such systems are particularly useful inevaluating meat products of irregular shapes.

A computer box 2062 is provided in connection with the system 2060. Invarious embodiments, the computer box 2062 is operable to perform atleast one of the following functions, data acquisition, data storage,data manipulation, system control, monitoring of through-put, etc. Inpreferred embodiments, a CPU associated with the computer box 2062 isprovided at least for saving and/or archiving images and informationcaptured by the cameras 2072, 2074 and/or laser box 2070. A first member2064 is generally vertically disposed and provides support for othercomponents and features of the imaging system 2060.

FIG. 20 is a front view of an imaging system 2060 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. As shown, the system 2060 isprovided over a width w of a conveyor belt 2042 for transmitting meatproducts. The system 2060 comprises a hood or cover member 2076 forproviding a controlled imaging environment (i.e. with respect to light,etc.). A plurality of lighting elements 2066 are provided to illuminatea meat product to be analyzed by a camera or imaging device 2068. Thefirst member 2064 is interconnected to a second member 2078, which isgenerally horizontally disposed. The first member 2064 and the secondmember 2078 provide support for other components and features of theimaging system 2060, including wheels 2080 a, 2080 b.

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of an imaging system 2060 according to oneembodiment of the present invention. The embodiment of FIG. 21 comprisesa hood or cover 2076, movable on one or more wheels 2080 a, 2080 b, 2080c, such that the system 2060 may be transferred to desired locations.The system 2060 of FIG. 6 comprises a through-put system having anaperture or input 2082 through which a conveyor belt (not shown)transmits products. The system 2060 and hood 2076 contain variousimaging features as shown and described herein, including cameras, lasermeans, and lighting means. The second member 2078 provides support forother components and features of the imaging system 2060, includingwheels 2080 a, 2080 b, 2080 c.

FIG. 22 is a cross-sectional side view of an imaging system according toone embodiment of the present invention. Various features of the imagingsystem are shown in relation to one another, including a camera box 2068comprising a 3D and color camera 2072, 2074, lighting means 2066 a, 2066b, laser box 2070 comprising laser means, and a conveyor system 2042passing therethrough.

While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been describedin detail, it is apparent that modifications and alterations of thoseembodiments will occur to those skilled in the art. However, it is to beexpressly understood that such modifications and alterations are withinthe scope and spirit of the present disclosure, as set forth in thefollowing claims. Further, the invention(s) described herein are capableof other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out invarious ways. In addition, it is to be understood that the phraseologyand terminology used herein is for the purposes of description andshould not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,”“comprising,” or “adding” and variations thereof herein are meant toencompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof, as wellas, additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for screening and packaging meatproducts, comprising: a meat production apparatus comprising at leastone packaging area, wherein meat product on a tray is conveyed to the atleast one packaging area by a conveyor means; a means for capturingimages of the meat products on trays conveyed along the conveyor means;a database comprising information relating to the suitability of meatproducts and trays for packaging; and a central processor adapted toreceive information related to the captured images and, by referencingthe suitability information in the database, evaluating whether the meatproduct and the tray are suitable for further packaging; wherein theprocessor is configured such that the step of evaluating the suitabilityof the meat product and the tray for further packaging comprises atleast one of: determining the presence of abnormalities of said meatproduct and determining whether the meat product and the tray are in adesired orientation relative to one another; a directing means fordirecting the conveyance of the meat products on trays, wherein thedirecting means is electrically connected to the central processor;wherein the central processor is configured such that when, based on theevaluating step, the central processor identifies the meat product asunsuitable for further packaging, the directing means is positioned suchthat the tray containing the unsuitable meat product is conveyed awayfrom subsequent processing operations that comprise a step ofover-wrapping the meat product and the tray; a re-working area having aconveyance means for receiving trays containing unsuitable meat productconveyed away from the subsequent processing operations comprising anover-wrapping step; wherein the re-working area comprises a means foridentifying those trays comprising meat products in an undesiredorientation relative to the tray; a means for re-positioning the meatproduct on the tray such that the meat product and tray are suitable forpackaging; wherein the central processor is configured such that when,based on the evaluating step, the central processor identifies the meatproduct as being free of abnormalities and in the desirable orientationrelative to the tray, the directing means is positioned such that thetray containing the meat product is conveyed to subsequent processingoperations comprising a step of over-wrapping the meat product and thetray; and wherein the image capturing means is selected from the groupconsisting of a digital color camera, a digital black and white camera,and a digital video camera.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein theprocessor is configured such that the step of determining whether themeat product and the tray are in a desired orientation relative to oneanother comprises comparing a captured image to a pre-existing image. 3.The system of claim 1, wherein the image capturing means is selectedfrom the group consisting of a digital color camera, a digital black andwhite camera, and a digital video camera.
 4. The system of claim 1,wherein the central processor comprise a means for storing informationrelating to the number of meat products in trays having abnormalities orthat are in an undesirable orientation relative to the tray.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the central processor comprise a means forstoring information relating to the number of meat products in trayshaving abnormalities or that are in an undesirable orientation relativeto the tray.
 6. A system for screening and packaging meat products,comprising: a meat production apparatus comprising at least onepackaging area, wherein meat product on a tray is conveyed to the atleast one packaging area by a conveyor means; a means for capturingimages of the meat products on trays conveyed along the conveyor means;a database comprising information relating to the suitability of meatproducts and trays for packaging; and a central processor adapted toreceive information related to the captured images and, by referencingthe suitability information in the database, evaluating whether the meatproduct and the tray are suitable for further packaging; wherein theprocessor is configured such that the step of evaluating the suitabilityof the meat product and the tray for further packaging comprises atleast one of: determining the presence of abnormalities of said meatproduct and determining whether the meat product and the tray are in adesired orientation relative to one another; a directing means fordirecting the conveyance of the meat products on trays, wherein thedirecting means is electrically connected to the central processor;wherein the central processor is configured such that when, based on theevaluating step, the central processor identifies the meat product asunsuitable for further packaging, the directing means is positioned suchthat the tray containing the unsuitable meat product is conveyed awayfrom subsequent processing operations that comprise a step ofover-wrapping the meat product and the tray; further comprising are-working area having a conveyance means for receiving trays containingunsuitable meat product conveyed away from the subsequent processingoperations comprising an over-wrapping step; wherein the re-working areacomprises a means for identifying those trays comprising meat productsin an undesired orientation relative to the tray; a means forre-positioning the meat product on the tray such that the meat productand tray are suitable for packaging; and a means for conveying trayscomprising re-positioned meat products to the subsequent processingoperations; wherein the image capturing means is selected from the groupconsisting of a digital color camera, a digital black and white camera,and a digital video camera; and wherein the central processor isconfigured such that when, based on the evaluating step, the centralprocessor identifies the meat product as being free of abnormalities andin the desirable orientation relative to the tray, the directing meansis positioned such that the tray containing the meat product is conveyedto subsequent processing operations comprising a step of over-wrappingthe meat product and the tray.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein thecentral processor comprise a means for storing information relating tothe number of meat products in trays having abnormalities or that are inan undesirable orientation relative to the tray.
 8. A method forscreening and packaging meat products, comprising: a) providing a systemfor screening and packaging meat products, comprising: at least onepackaging area, wherein meat product on a tray is conveyed to the atleast one packaging area by a conveyor means; a database comprisinginformation relating to the suitability of meat products and trays forpackaging; and a central processor adapted to receive informationrelated to captured images of the meat products on trays conveyed alongthe conveyor means; b) evaluating whether one of the meat product andthe trays are suitable for further packaging by referencing thesuitability information in the database, c) determining the presence ofabnormalities of said meat product; d) determining whether the meatproduct and the trays are in a desired orientation relative to oneanother; e) based on the evaluating step, identifying whether the meatproduct is unsuitable for further packaging; f) conveying said trayscontaining unsuitable meat product away from subsequent processingoperations; g) identifying trays comprising meat products in anundesired orientation relative to the trays; h) re-positioning meatproducts on the trays such that the meat products and trays are suitablefor packaging; i) identifying meat products as being free ofabnormalities and in the desirable orientation relative to the trays;and j) conveying the trays containing the meat products to subsequentprocessing operations comprising over-wrapping the meat products and thetrays.
 9. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprisingdiscarding meat products comprising abnormalities as determined by saidevaluating step.
 10. The method as set forth in claim 9, wherein thestep of determining the presence of abnormalities of the meat productscomprises comparing the captured image to a pre-existing image.
 11. Themethod as set forth in claim 8, wherein the captured images comprise adigital color image.
 12. The method as set forth in claim 8, furthercomprising storing information relating to meat products havingabnormalities.
 13. The method as set forth in claim 8, furthercomprising storing information relating to meat products that are in anundesirable orientation relative to the trays.
 14. The method as setforth in claim 8, further comprising providing a re-working area havinga conveyance means for receiving trays containing unsuitable meatproducts.
 15. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprisingstoring information relating to a grade of the meat products, whereinthe meat products comprise a subprimal portion. [0030] Still a furtheraspect of the present invention is to provide a system and method thatcan be used to accurately grade each subprimal portion of a carcassbased upon the quality of that particular subprimal. Rather than gradingan entire animal based on the ribeye section, each subprimal is analyzedand graded based on its own merit, not solely on the merit of theribeye.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein the capturedimage comprises one resulting from an image gathering means that isprogrammed to generate images automatically.
 17. The method as set forthin claim 8, wherein the captured image is obtained from underneath themeat products as the meat products are conveyed on a transparent meansof transport.
 18. The method as set forth in claim 8, further comprisingproviding a report on the quality of the meat products on the trays asthe meat products correspond to animals administered a drug.
 19. Themethod as set forth in claim 8, further comprising illuminating the meatproducts at the time captured images are obtained.
 20. The method as setforth in claim 8, associating a barcode with the trays.